The effects of 21st century germs
by abelkd71
Summary: After Ianto catches a cold and Jack decides to dedicate himself to the responsibility of taking care of him, he quickly finds out as a result of being sick the typically mild-mannered man starts acting differently, which only causes trouble for him.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

It was another uneventful, late night at Torchwood Institute with the majority of the team members already gone home after finishing the most recent crisis they needed to take care of and without any significant rift activity to monitor. Alone in his office, Captain Jack Harkness was aimlessly idling his time away until the morning when they could start the cycle of keeping the planet safe from alien forces all over again but for now he needed to wait for them to recharge after a night's sleep. He sometimes felt regretful for having that immortal body which didn't need any rest or recovery from an intense session of physical exploits but there was something that suddenly distracted him from those thoughts. An unusual sound made its way to his ears that he couldn't quite pinpoint the origin and instead of sitting there, wondering what it was until he became more unproductive than he already was he decided to search around. The strange thing though was even when he walked through the hub, it seemed like the sound was moving which began to make him annoyed until he finally came across another living being: Ianto Jones. He was walking around in circles, appearing to be occupied by something that was clearly troubling him while repeatedly sighing in frustration but the most bizarre aspect of his behavior was when he abruptly stopped then tightly clamped both of his hands against his face in order to muffle the same unusual noise as his body was pitched forward. A smile came to his face as a result of knowing exactly what was happening and the thought of confronting him about it caused him to eagerly walk up then start a conversation with a subdued expression despite the anticipation coming through by the glimmer in his eyes.

"Good evening, Ianto."

"Good evening," he reciprocated however it lacked the same enthusiasm with the tone of his voice slightly off from the way it usually was, a subtly that only someone as intent as paying attention to everything about their new lover did would notice, and upon realizing he wasn't about to leave him alone anytime soon he had no choice but to continue their discussion, "Is there something I can help you with, sir?"

"Oh, I believe there is. Tell me, how are you feeling tonight?"

"Fine… just fine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, you know how I like to be in charge of my team."

"Well then if you don't mind I have things I need to do, in private. Excuse me."

"Whoa, not so fast. I'm not done with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, drop the act."

"Act?"

"Stop playing dumb, although I'd be lying if I said you didn't look just as cute that way."

"Please sir, I-"

"You and I both know what's going on. Just admit it so we can move on. How do you feel?"

"I'm getting fed up with you. If you're going to keep asking me the same things and demeaning me then I'm-"

Ianto was caught off guard when Jack suddenly moved behind him and before he had a chance to turn around, he felt his arms wrap around his chest while resting his head against his shoulder in an intimate gesture which would have been enjoyable if he wasn't so distracted by what he whispered in his ear, "It's been happening quite a few times, hasn't it? I can sense the slightly labored condition of your breathing, the elevated temperature radiating from your body, the little snorting noises produced from the congestion in your nose and even as I speak there are inhalations steadily generated from your chest, if I could see your eyes I'm pretty sure they're closed right now and everything feels more tense so it's only a matter of time before you-"

Just as predicted he sneezed in a manner that was too unpredictable for him to react, only go with the movement of having his head snap forward which also was uncovered due to not being able to bring his hands to his face either and with those 2 factors combined the spray came into contact with his bare arms since he wasn't wearing his coat. It didn't bother him that much to be misted with his mucus and saliva except he wanted to prevent him from becoming too upset about it although that didn't seem to be an issue when he turned around to notice his dazed expression which proved nothing could get through to him as a result of the dizzy sensation. He quickly but carefully brought him over to sit in a nearby chair and the way he slumped down, only able to concentrate on catching his breath, made him realize it was fortunate he had a hold of him since he would have lost his balance from that forceful expulsion of air. After a few moments he became aware of what just happened, needing to compose himself by taking out a handkerchief from his pocket to blow his nose in the most dignified manner as possible and during the seconds he was distracted he brought his arms behind his back to wipe them off so he wouldn't notice before he decided to continue talking.

"Excuse me, sir."

"It's alright. Bless you."

"Thank you. That's very polite of you to say."

"I can be polite when I feel like it. So, do you wanna tell me how you feel now?"

"No."

"It's not like you to be this stubborn. Am I gonna have to force it out of you because I'd be more than willing to-"

"Just leave me alone, please."

"Aww, that hurt but I'm too concerned-"

"I never asked for you to be concerned over me! I don't want or accept your concern!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Just calm down. Clearly I need to stop fooling around and approach this from a more serious manner," he announced before falling into a state of contemplation displayed by the gestures of placing a hand on his chin then shifting his attention away in a pensive expression since it seemed impossible to discuss the issue bluntly without making him offended or mad however a new problem came up when he suddenly tried getting up which forced the action of moving his hands to his shoulders to push him back down, "Whoa, where do you think you're going?"

"Let me go."

"Not a chance, I won't let you run away from me when I'm only trying to help you. Of course, you probably wanna say you refuse my help too."

"No, you don't understand. I…"

"Just tell me whatever you're feeling now."

He wanted more than anything to be honest with him but regardless of what he planned on divulging as he opened his mouth he was overcome with another sneeze which gave an insight on how he was feeling physically without him actually having to admit it and the way he collapsed back into the chair without trying to get up again couldn't help make him comment, "Bless you. Have you really stopped struggling, just like that? I thought I'd at least have to keep doing this for a little while longer."

"It was helping."

"What was?"

"Walking around, just having my brain concentrating on something else so I wouldn't be doing it so frequently."

"How long have you been like this?"

"A few hours but it's getting worse."

"And it's gonna keep getting worse until we take care of it properly… but I'll make you a deal since I know this must be hard for you to admit. You've always been such a professional man and that shouldn't have to change now. So just listen to me for a few seconds. For whatever reason, perhaps from overexerting yourself or the change to colder weather, you contracted an illness which is most likely the common cold unless you're feeling nauseous."

"I'm actually a little hungry."

"That's a good sign. I'll fix you something to eat once I get you into bed. What do you say?"

"If you don't mind me saying, sir, what do you know about taking care of someone with a cold?"

"You underestimate me."

"Oh really? When was the last time you were sick at all with anything, let alone a cold? I strongly doubt someone like you gets sick very often."

"Someone like me? Do you mean the immortal part or the 51st century one?"

"Both, you can't die which means you can't get sick either and with that far into the future, 21st century diseases certainly must have been cured. Also, the diseases you do have are different from anything we're used to now and probably can be cured instantly."

"Everything you're saying is true, sort of, but I've been around enough mortal people who're from all different time periods relative to my original past to get a sense of what it's like."

"Not a firsthand sense."

"All you're gonna experience is some sneezing and sniffling, not exactly life threatening. It's not that hard to take care of that. You just need to rest and relax until you feel better. I can at least take care of you that way."

"Why would you do that instead of just leaving me to handle it on my own?"

"You need to have more self-esteem and not act like this is something I'd just be wasting my time with. I'm in charge and that means I gotta make sure my team is in good condition but more importantly, it's very important to me to get you back to normal. I'm really sorry you don't feel well but I promise, if you let me, I'll do everything I can to get you through this. That's gotta sound good, especially the getting you into bed part, right?"

Once again he couldn't find the words to accurately express his feelings to Jack with his rare display of sympathy and instead he stood up to give him a hug but their affectionate moment was cut short when his nose started tickling which created the inevitable result of him sneezing again so forcefully it made both their bodies shake, still unable to cover his mouth in time although rather than focus on the uncomfortable sensation of having the droplets of moisture soak through his thin undershirt, causing him to shiver he couldn't help bring up a different observation, "Bless you, Ianto. For such a reserved man you sure have a loud sneeze."

"I can't control the way it comes out."

"That's not what I'm trying to say. It's quite a turn-on."

"Great, I'm sick and sneezing my head off and all you can think about is that."

"There isn't a single moment in time I'm not thinking about that but I like it better when those thoughts are about you."

"About me?"

"Of course, it's 1 thing to think about any random person in that way but it's another when the man on your mind is special."

"You think I'm special?"

"Come here, I'll show you how special you are."

He was able to predict exactly what would happen next based on his seductive tone and glare in an action even at that moment he was happy to comply with except right as they were about to start, going so far as to only feel the minimal contact of their lips brushing up against each other's, he unexpectedly backed away, and his hurt expression felt like a sharp pain which caused him to timidly mutter, "I'm sorry but I can't do this."

"You don't need to worry about getting me sick. I've been shot in the head, stabbed through the heart, even had my spine bent in half after being pushed off a building. I hardly think I'll be affected by the common cold. Besides, my 51st century body is too advanced to be susceptible to such a primitive disease. It doesn't even exist in that time, just like you said."

"That doesn't make sense. If you hadn't been exposed to it… never mind, I wasn't worried about spreading it to you. I'm very aware of how immortal you are without even having to see you get killed. You don't know this, because I haven't told you and you haven't figured it out yet, but… every time we kiss or go further it takes so much out of me. You can never die, you don't get tired either and that's because you have an unlimited amount of energy. It's really difficult keeping up with that."

"I never asked you to-"

"It's not something you could have asked for, that's only how your body works. We just started a physical relationship so I learned it's difficult keeping up with you unless I work really hard at it but afterwards when I'm lying next to you trying to catch my breath it feels amazing. It's just right now when I barely have enough energy to keep from collapsing I can't spare any to give to you. Please don't be mad."

"Oh sure, no problem. There will be no sex or kissing until you get better… I forget, how long does this sickness last?"

"A few days to a week… is that going to be alright for you?"

"I can definitely go that long without it… I think."

"You don't sound so sure."

"This isn't about me. You're sick and can't overexert yourself. My top priority right now is making sure you don't get sicker."

"That's not true. You don't have to concern yourself over me. I'm just 1 of your team members, the bloke who just makes coffee and only speaks up when nobody else has any more ideas. Would you do the same for Gwen, Tosh or Owen?"

"No… but I haven't started a physical relationship with any of them. Isn't it normal for people in that situation to be there for each other, like that in sickness and health thing?"

"You're talking about a marriage vow and besides, it's only normal for people to do that when they're in a romantic relationship, not just physical. I like being around you and I like doing those things with you. I know you feel the same way. In that case, there's no reason for you to be obligated-"

"Yes exactly, because we're in that type of relationship I wanna see to it you have a speedy recovery so we can get back to having sex as soon as possible. I'll just concentrate on that. Okay then, let's start taking care of you."

"Why do I suddenly have the impression you'll only make things worse?"

"Come on, you don't think I can be a good care taker?"

"Caring isn't the first word that comes to mind when I think about your personality."

"All you really need is rest. I can at least give you that and anything else you need I'll be there to help you with."

"No, I keep trying to tell you: you don't have to do this. Just walk with me outside, please? I'll drive home and stay in bed until I feel better then come back here."

"Do you really think I'd leave you alone when you're sick? I'd be a horrible person if I did that, especially towards the man I'm in any type of intimate relationship with. I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"You're not going to be able to do anything about it, just wait until the illness runs its course."

"I know that, but don't you think having me by your side will help you? I may not be able to do anything but just having someone watching over you can be comforting. Don't you want that?"

"It doesn't matter whether I want you with me or not… if I look as horrible as I feel and if it's only going to get worse before it gets better, I should stay in isolation. I already feel embarrassed enough with you seeing me this way."

"I'm not letting you go through this alone, no matter what you say. And it's not important what you look like, although if you're so caught up with that I'll tell you: you're still just as handsome as ever. Stop being stubborn and let me handle everything."

"Okay… I don't have enough energy to go against you, not even do anything for myself. If I drove right now, I would probably die in a car crash anyway."

"Don't say that. I know you're forced to think about what it's like when I die, since it usually happens once a day, but it can't be the same with me because if you were suddenly gone from my life… anyway, I'm glad you agree. You should know: I got a better idea than you going home. I'd be more comfortable letting you rest where I can keep an eye on you more efficiently."

"You mean here, in your office? I would like to lie down, please."

"Of course, I get that. Tell me: how well do you know the hub?"

"I don't mean to boast, sir, however I believe fairly well. It's my job after all to be acquainted with all the intricacies of this Torchwood Institute, just like I was with the last one I worked at."

"Weren't you just a researcher at Torchwood London?"

"It was more of a personal job, an undesignated one that I kept to myself. I have always been very good at being in places without getting noticed and some of the things I saw there were… why do you ask that?"

"All the intricacies, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Do you know I have a number of rooms that were built over the years I reserve for personal use, various purposes which I keep private to myself?"

"Is that so?"

"Uh huh, and 1 of those purposes fits just perfectly for what we need now."

"I really don't like the sound of this either."

"Just relax and trust me."

"From the moment I met you I never stopped trusting you."

"Good, then you'll agree with me when I tell you this next thing: until you're completely 100% over your cold I don't want you doing any work, not 1 little responsibility."

"What?"

"You're not feeling well and I don't expect you to do your job like that. Besides, you might not be able to do it to the best of your ability and I can't have that."

"That's not true! Whatever happens to me, I can-"

"Shh, it's alright. I know how hard of a worker you are and you'll get back to it once you're better."

"But if I don't do what I'm supposed to around here, I'll feel useless… I guess it doesn't matter. You're right. My head feels so fuzzy now I can't focus on anything. I really am use-"

"You're perfect and nothing else. I don't wanna hear another word from you about it."

He pressed a finger against his lips in order to emphasize the point of putting an end to the conversation however it quickly turned into a seductive gesture when he added a second finger to trace around the edges of his mouth which caused his eyes to flutter close and a moan to be let out due to the pleasure of that simple action surging throughout his body, cutting through the bad feeling of his cold. Both of them were too preoccupied to realize those mechanisms had deepened, indicating a sneeze was on its way and the only precaution Jack had time to take in order to avoid being subjected to his bodily fluids again was move his hand to cover the entire mouth and nose region. It worked to muffle the explosion although as a result of not being able to get rid of the tickling properly he continued to sneeze, causing him to be pitched forward and by the time it was over Ianto was left too exhausted to be humiliated or even react when he took the handkerchief out of his pocket to clean him up in addition to wiping off his hand. What did catch his attention however was the kiss he planted on his forehead proving there was a way to do it without requiring any energy from him before he scooped him up in his arms to carry him bridal-style towards the secret location he had in mind although the affectionate atmosphere gradually disappeared.

From the position he was currently in, he didn't have a clear view of the immortal man's face but based on the fact he could feel his grip around him tighten it seemed as though something was bothering him which he thought might have been the imposition of having to take care of him suddenly sinking in. Despite loving the idea of being looked after by the captain while he was sick, the last thing he wanted was to be an inconvenience and just as he spoke up to tell him he could walk on his own, or at least make an attempt at it, the words were replaced with a sneeze that had yet to be covered. He rapidly turned his head to avoid being hit with the spray directly in his face and instead have it on his neck while concentrating on keeping a hold of him as his body shook with the unexpected action causing him to stand still for a few seconds to recover from being caught off guard by that however he didn't want to ignore him so he would be left feeling ashamed even though he couldn't help leave the sincerity out of his voice, punctuated by an exasperated tone.

"Not again, bless you."

"Thank you. I'm so sorry I keep doing that, sir."

"It's what happens when you have a cold."

"You sound upset. Please tell me how I can-"

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Calling you what?"

"I can't figure out whether you're being purposely obscure or sincere again."

"No, I feel too exhausted not to be sincere. Just tell me what it is."

"Oh great, that means it's subconscious then."

"Jack…"

"See, that's better. Alright, I'll get to the point. You don't need to act so formal with me, especially now. Sure when we're around the others you can act professional but alone it doesn't have to be that way. When it's just the 2 of us, I'm not your boss and you're not my worker. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I suppose it doesn't make sense to treat you professionally when we're alone and interact so personally… maybe we can think of it this way: now that I'm sick it could be like I'm the patient and you're the doctor," he explained without thinking about what he was implying until that statement sent him bursting into laughter which left the cold-stricken man at a loss, only waiting for when he calmed down to question the seemingly random behavior, "What's so funny?"

"He'd be furious if he heard me being referred to as that but I really like the sound of it."

"I'm confused."

"That's alright. It's really not important. How about this: you're just my boyfriend and I'm yours."

"Boyfriend… you never called me that before. You always said-"

"It could be something we try out for this short period of time until you get better. There's not a very civilized term for people who only have sex with each other so let's see how it feels to think of ourselves in that way. Besides, if I'm your boyfriend it's my responsibility and privilege to take care of you in the best possible way I can. Doesn't that make you happy?"

"I don't know. This is all a bit too much to handle right now."

"Come on, you're over-thinking it. Just tell me whether you like the idea of us being temporary boyfriends."

"Of course, I love it."

"Good, now just relax. We're almost there."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see. For now it's okay if you wanna close your eyes. I got everything under control."

"Thank you, Jack. I… really appreciate this."

"It's no big deal, really. Sleep well, Ianto."

He gave him another kiss, this time on the cheek, with the last sight he saw being the tender smile of his 51st century boyfriend before he succumbed to the exhaustion and by the time he regained consciousness, feeling groggy and disoriented, the sensation of being bounced slightly in his arms was replaced by something more solid yet soft that he tested out by moving his hand across whatever surface he was on, noticing the touch of some sort of fabric under him. At first he kept his eyes closed, afraid at what might be awaiting him but when he sensed an unusually warm temperature, which could have just been the result of his own fever, he decided to get it over with and try to determine where he was although the location made him feel as though he had been kidnapped. It was a small room that had a fuzzy carpet covering the entire floor, a few bookshelves filled with books he could only guess at, a TV, a radio, an alarm and wall clocks, radiator, 3 floor lamps, a nightstand, 2 doors and the most significant item: a huge bed piled with pillows and linens which he was currently laying on. Everything looked so clean and normal like a real bedroom, proving he couldn't have still been in Torchwood tower but the sound of the doorknob turning brought his attention on possibly fighting his captor until he saw Jack walk into the room, looking concerned before he realized he had woken up and with the fear subsiding all Ianto had to concentrate on was feeling so drained from his cold while still being uncertain about where he was.

"Awake already? I guess if you can't stay asleep on your own, you shouldn't be forced to. How are you feel-" he began to ask except was interrupted by his sudden inhalation then a sneeze which sounded wetter compared to the previous ones, emphasized when he sniffled deeply only once although he still remained in a daze, unable to realize his nose was running and that prompted Jack to hastily take the handkerchief out of his pocket to offer him, "Bless you. Here, you should uh… blow your nose."

"Thadk you… excuse be…"

He couldn't help smiling at his stuffed-up tone that seemed to be alleviated after he went through the ungentlemanly process of releasing the congestion however he became more receptive especially as he delighted in the soothing sensation of having his hair caressed in a repeated motion which eventually slowed down since he needed to question, "I'll try this a second time: how are you feeling?"

"Confused."

"Okay… that wasn't the answer I was expecting but I'll go with it. Why are you confused? We were in my office talking then you fell asleep while I was carrying you here. I think you might be running a fever. I'll need to get a thermometer and a cold compress. You just stay put while I-"

"No, it can wait. Everything else makes sense but it's the here part I don't understand. Where are we? Is this still Torchwood?"

"It absolutely is. Remember earlier we were talking about how there are rooms in the hub you might not know about?"

"Yes."

"Well this is 1 of them. It's a restful, relaxing place that I set up a little while ago. Do you like it?"

"It's a bedroom."

"I'm glad to see your powers of observation haven't been hindered."

"But you don't sleep. Why do you need a bedroom? And I thought you have some sort of place set up like a bunker you have to use a ladder to climb down to in your office?"

"Don't be so naïve. You know beds aren't just for sleeping even if you're by yourself… but that's not what I do in here, and this place wasn't originally mine. 1 of the other leaders had it set up for them and after they were gone I just took it. I rarely go in here but somehow being in that tiny, cramped space isn't good when I need to unwind. I lie down and let all the tensions escape my body. Also, I have quite a collection of classic books that're really enjoyable to read. The other team members have their own ways. What techniques do you use if you're feeling overwhelmed?"

"I never feel that way. After we come back from dealing with an alien situation, I unwind by doing office work or making coffee. Those tasks might sound mundane to you but I enjoy the repetition and routine."

"Alright, I understand. For now you could just do nothing… unless that's gonna drive you crazy."

"No, I'll be fine with you here."

They exchanged smiles as Ianto felt grateful to have such a wonderful boyfriend to take care of him but when the mood became a little too intimate since Jack moved onto the bed, pressing his body up against his with their faces only a short distance apart and he realized it couldn't be taken any further which caused him to back away before switching the subject instead of dwelling on the awkwardness, "So, we should concentrate on getting you better. While you were sleeping I started the preparations for soup by heating up some broth on the stove and once it's boiling I'm supposed to add-"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Isn't soup what you're supposed to eat when you're sick to make you feel better? I even got chicken and noodles, what's believed to be the ultimate cure for-"

"You're making soup from scratch?"

"Of course, I'd never give you that oversalted stuff from a can. This is gonna be homemade, delicious-"

"How are you going to make it yourself without a stove?"

"Yeah… I guess I never explained that to you either until now. It's another 1 of the private rooms I have in the hub which also was made by someone else that I inherited: a fully stocked and functioning kitchen."

"If we have a kitchen, why do we constantly eat take-out?"

"Well I didn't say I like to cook and besides, it takes too long. But this time's different. Having good food will make you get better sooner."

"That's true, but it sounds like a lot of trouble you're going through just for me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not even sure how it'll taste… do you like to cook?"

"Probably, I don't make homemade meals too often but if it's a repetitive task, I would most likely excel at it but either way it seems relaxing to spend a little bit of time in the kitchen and work hard to prepare some better tasting food."

"Ooh I'd absolutely love to see you working hard in the kitchen, wearing an apron… and nothing else."

"Jack please…"

"Alright, I guess I shouldn't bring up any suggestive thoughts because you wanna get back to it just as badly as I do. Now, I need you to take off all your clothes," he simply stated without thinking it was something wrong until the way Ianto glared incredulously at him proved that to be true, which he responded to with a blank expression, still believing it was a perfectly normal suggestion and their stare-down could only be disrupted when he succumbed to another strong tickle in his nose, making him sneeze once then again a few seconds later as he not only managed to turn away but bring the handkerchief up in time, "Bless you."

"Thank you but what happened to not bringing up anything suggestive?"

"I didn't mean it like that. You should get comfortable and change into a pair of pajamas. It doesn't seem likely you could relax very much in the suits and ties you always wear."

"But I like wearing my suits and ties. It's what looks best on me."

"Oh, I couldn't agree more. You look amazing in it. But I mean come on, you can't expect to wear that whole outfit for everything you do. What clothes do you have on when you're sleeping?"

"Still this, maybe with the jacket off, for the little amount of sleep I get. There's always so much paper work to take care of…"

"Please Ianto, do this for me."

"I'm telling you: I don't think I even own a pair of pajamas. Besides, I don't keep personal affects at the place where I work unlike you since apparently this is the place you work and live in. Any other clothes I own are back in my flat."

"Yep, I knew you'd say that. I'll give you some pajamas which I want you to put on and keep for whenever you need to have something to wear to bed. And you really should sleep more. The work can wait. It's not going anywhere. Now, I just gotta find where the pajamas are," he muttered then went about searching through the numerous drawers of his hidden bedroom while he took the opportunity of finally not being the center of his focus to blow his nose again and he had just enough time to finish before he was handed the clothes, "Here you go."

"Thank you… I hate to admit this but they do feel pretty comfortable. Perhaps it won't be that bad."

"Of course, they might be a little big on you because they're mine."

"If you're giving me something of yours I'll wear it very often."

"Good, so then I'm gonna go and gather some things then be back with them and a nice bowl full of what I hope will be edible, but if we're really lucky, delicious soup. In the meantime you change and try to relax… oh, and could you please not go through any of my stuff in here? It's just I have it organized in a specific way, plus I haven't been in this room for a while so I don't even know exactly what lies among these books and secret compartments… alright, I'll return to you soon."


	2. Chapter 2

He grabbed his hand to give it a kiss before leaving him alone when he finally had the privacy to reluctantly change out of his usual suit to the slightly oversized pair of pajamas which he knew had his scent on them despite not being able to take it in due to his clogged nose and even though the temptation to search his possessions was strong, he didn't feel up to doing anything except laying back down on the bed. Ianto wanted to stay alert and possibly get rid of his cold through sheer force of will so their rare alone time together wouldn't be ruined except the fatigue overcame him and he fell asleep, remaining that way even as his boss re-entered the room about an hour later once his kitchen escapades were finished. After placing the bowl of painstakingly prepared soup down on a nearby nightstand with a bag of ice alongside it he moved to the bed where the sick man was laying across it horizontally, rather than having his head on the pillow, above the covers and curled up into himself a little. He didn't want to disturb him if he was getting the rest he needed or move his body too much but it was critical for him to be taken care of properly and he went about it by placing a hand on his shoulder to gently shake him awake in an action that caused his eyes to open except he ended up staring hazily back at the soothing expression rather than exhibit a peaceful demeanor.

"Wake up my sleeping beauty."

"Jack… I don't feel so good."

"I know but I'm here to make it better."

"At first I liked how comfortable this room felt. In the rest of the hub it's so cold, obviously because you can't heat up a place that's filled with intricate computer systems and alien technology which can react to the slightest change in environment, but your bedroom is different. You have the radiator on and it feels very nice except… I shouldn't be shivering like this. Help me."

Up until that moment he was too preoccupied with the fact his boyfriend hadn't permanently lost consciousness to notice that symptom along with profusely sweating and labored breathing all of which created a split second of intense panic in a very observable and uncharacteristic display of emotion although he got over it, for the sake of keeping them both at ease in addition to being in a rational state of mind, before calmly reassuring, "Don't worry, it's just your fever. In the time between now and when I first saw you it's been left untreated and taking its toll on your body. I have some stuff here to help but the most important thing is a thermometer. I need to see how high your temperature is before I do anything else so I can evaluate whether it's decreasing later on. Now, open up."

"No."

"Come on, don't make me do this the hard way. I'd hate to be forced to take your temperature rectally."

"That might be better."

"Are you serious?"

"I just don't think I'll be able to hold something between my teeth-" he began to explain until he was cut off by his breath hitching except when it failed to resolve in a sneeze and instead just kept building up while his mouth remained open Jack couldn't help look at him in a mix of amusement since his other facial features became stuck as well but mostly awe due to wondering if there was anything he could do to help although eventually the convulsive expulsion of air occurred as he brought up his arm to intercept it which resulted in a nearly unshakable dizziness but still proved the point he finished making, "For very long."

"Bless you."

"Thank you… don't you see? I can't do this but I guess there's no choice. It's important, and no I would rather you not take it that way. What should we do?"

"You seem to be forgetting one crucial detail: with me by your side you can do anything."

He felt doubtful about that statement but there wasn't a chance for him to respond to it because the former time agent did something completely unexpected: loomed over his body pressed against the bed then gave him a kiss on the lips despite the ban mutually set in place but no matter what he originally said it was a wonderful sensation to experience even when he was sick. In order not to create a situation where his boyfriend became overexerted, he stopped after a few seconds however it was enough to leave him feeling so ecstatic he couldn't notice Jack slightly elevate his head then place the thermometer under his tongue until it was too late to protest. As the seconds passed of not being able to breathe through his mouth, he struggled to let the air move through his clogged nasal passages and reached out to grab his hand in a desperate attempt to take away some of the panic from not getting enough oxygen except right at the point where he felt like he was going to pass out, a beep sounded off signaling it could be removed. His immediate response was a combination of gasping breaths, sputtering coughs and liquidy sniffles while he returned to lying back down but this time purposely facing away from him in a gesture that conveyed he was mad at him for causing his discomfort but after realizing he hadn't said a word Ianto decided to stop shutting him out.

"Well what is it?"

"104.54°… I can't believe it's that high. I feel so guilty. From now on I really gotta stop joking around. You could die if you stay like this."

"You're telling me. Think about how I feel. I'm surprised I haven't died already with that temperature."

"What?"

"It's even above the boiling point for water."

"What?"

"Maybe you got the reading wrong. Let me see the thermometer please," he demanded in a more abrupt tone than usual since he was feeling frustrated with their miscommunication and once he handed over the medical device with the correct number clearly displayed he examined it further to discover a small letter F in the top corner when things suddenly made sense, "Oh Jack, you idiot. Don't ever scare me like that again."

"What?"

"Stop saying what. This just gives out a reading in Fahrenheit. I'm only familiar with Celsius, like every other person outside of America."

"Damn you, Welshman with your Celsius. So what's the conversion then?"

"I don't know. My brain isn't functioning enough for math. I was barely able to figure out something was wrong… but I guess I can try. 104.54 minus 32 is 72.54, multiplied by 5 is 362.7 then divided by 9 is 40.3… my god that's high. Normal body temperature in Celsius is 37° and even though there isn't that much of a discrepancy as in Fahrenheit, with the changed ratio it makes just 1° higher a big problem and now I have 3° but what if it goes to 4° or 5° which would probably kill me except that's not as worse as how I can't seem to get all these numbers out of-"

"Oh my sweet, fever-ridden, human calculator, panicking isn't gonna make anything better. Come on, we need to get you in a proper position. I doubt that feels comfortable."

"If it didn't, I wouldn't keep staying in this position."

"I'm sure it'll be a lot better if you get under the blankets."

"No, I'm too hot and my body is too heavy for me to move."

"Your body will feel fine after it adjusts and I have something to help make you cooler, but you need to sit up so it won't slip off your head. Just do what I tell you. I won't steer you wrong."

Once again he was taken in by the unbreakable trust he had for him and accepted his help in shifting positions so he was propped up against the pillows with his lower body covered by blankets which made him feel even more overheated like he forewarned although it became a short-lived sensation when Jack took the bag of nice, that had melted somewhat by now, and placed it on his forehead. The shock of cold not only cut through the heat from his fever but soon became unbearable, causing him to shiver again then eventually yet inevitably break into an uncovered sneezing fit since his right hand was holding the ice in place and his left hand hastily pulling the bedding up to cover his entire body. For the 1st few moments he felt guilty to have put his boyfriend through that except when the seconds turned into minutes he ended up staring at him with fascination, completely losing all intentions of sympathy and after he got all the irritation out of his nose the immortal man's astonished expression made him so annoyed he didn't even feel embarrassed.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"I can't help it. I'm impressed. That was a lot of sneezes."

"Yes because that's exactly what I was going for: trying to impress you. It was your stupid ice pack's fault anyway."

"There's no need to be grouchy. I know that was a rough transition but don't you feel even just a little better with those changes?"

"Maybe… no, actually you were right. There's a balance between having the coldness on my head while being under the blankets is keeping me warm. Is there anything else you have planned for me? I hate to be needy but you said you were going to make me soup and I'm still hungry."

"Aww, you should love being needy. That seems like it's the best part of being sick, plus you're never that way so you should also enjoy it while it lasts. I have the soup I made for you right over there but there's just 1 thing you need to do before that: take some medicine."

"Alright, let's get it over with."

"Really? I thought you'd put up more of a fight. It's very difficult telling when you're gonna be stubborn."

"Can you tell I'm 5 seconds away from getting up and going to your kitchen to make a pot of soup myself if I don't have it soon?"

"Okay, just hold on. I got the medicine and need to pour the correct dosage before you can drink it… well then, here you go."

"Damn it Jack! Why did you get cold syrup instead of pills? This is going to be awful."

"Huh, is there a difference?"

"Of course there is. I'm taking back what I said. You'll have to fight me."

"I'm sorry. I had to go out and buy the stuff but there were so many choices. I don't know anything about cold medicine so I chose a liquid because I thought it'd be absorbed faster in your body. How awful could it be? I picked a red one that the box says is cherry flavored."

"It doesn't taste like the real thing because the actual medicine makes it very bitter. Also, it's the kind of stuff children take and since I'm an adult I can swallow a pill."

"Well it's the only medicine I bought so you have to take it."

"No."

"Please take it."

"No, it's going to taste disgusting."

"Don't colds make you lose your sense of taste?"

"Only sometimes, I know that horrible taste will still get through."

"Maybe I can make taking it more pleasant like take the dose myself then transfer it mouth to mouth."

"You can't do that. If our lips touch there won't be anything to stop me from kissing you. When you kissed me before taking my temperature it was really nice and made me feel better."

"But you know kisses can't be substituted for real medicine. I did that as a 1 time thing and I don't mind only being able to kiss you anywhere except on your lips because otherwise you'll exert yourself too much. Of course, you might not have that problem if your fever goes down and your other symptoms go away because you take-" he started to persuade until Ianto impulsively grabbed the small measuring cup, tilted his head back then swallowed all the medicine at once in an action that not only proved he was just as eager to get back to their intimacy but implying the ban from it could be shortened was the exact motivation he needed which made Jack feel accomplished and relieved he got him to do it except when he noticed the pained expression on his face as he tried to suppress the gag reflex from the unpleasant medicine's taste, "Was it really that bad?"

"It doesn't matter. It's over. Can I have my soup now?"

"Yeah, I've done everything I believe is what you're supposed to do to help cure a cold. All you need to do now is eat and then rest. So I made chicken noodle soup and when I brought it here it was piping hot but since it's been sitting a little while it probably cooled down, maybe not too much because this room is heated."

"That's fine but… before I eat I want to ask you something."

"You don't need to be so timid. Just say it."

"Will you feed me?"

"Huh?"

"Don't act so surprised. This is me being needy and normally this kind of behavior would repulse me to no end but I feel like it's fitting when sick. Besides, I finally feel comfortable being under the blankets and don't want to take my arms out from under them. You said you would take care of me because you want us to get back to having sex but I'm sure you had no idea what was really involved with taking care of a sick person. I promise you when I feel better I'll make up for it in a really big way."

"Ooh I like the sound of that. I'll be looking forward to it."

They could both sense the increasingly romantic atmosphere between them which they knew was very close to becoming physical even though Jack felt uncomfortable doing anything with him when he still wasn't feeling well but the tension of going about the intimate and possibly erotic action of actually feeding him proved controlling his sexual urges would be difficult. Even though at it was awkward initially, they got into the routine of him taking a spoonful of the broth, bringing it up to his mouth then waiting until he finished it before repeating that process with it only being interrupted once when he quickly turned to the other side in order to avoid spraying his very patient boyfriend with soup from not being able to hold back a sneeze. Regardless of that 1 unpleasant event, the way he seductively licked his lips every time he swallowed a portion of his homemade meal accompanied with an equally seductive glare and even moaning with pleasure towards the end made it overwhelmingly clear what Ianto had on his mind except he had to temporarily put those thoughts aside after noticing his expectant expression once he focused back on him from placing the empty bowl to the side, meaning he would need to ignore the truthful response of how the taste of it was an odd combination of watery and salty in order not to offend his cooking skills.

"The soup was very delicious. Thank you for making it, and feeding me."

"You're welcome."

"But you know, other than tasting good and filling me up it did a good job of clearing my nose. I can even breathe through it, see?"

"Uh… that didn't sound like you can completely breathe through your nose."

"It doesn't matter. You know what I want to do to you now."

"Yeah…"

"What's wrong? You're not usually this uninterested in exploring each other's bodies."

"And you're not usually this aggressive about it. I just don't wanna put you in a situation where I take too much of your energy, no matter how increasingly attractive I'm finding you in this vulnerable and needy state. You should just… rest now."

"Yes, I should just…"

He became silent then broke eye contact with him, knowing he was right but didn't want to accept it however regardless of what rationalizations were the logical course of action after 5 seconds of suppressing their urges both of them couldn't control it any longer and gave in to the delight of kissing and caressing each other as passionately as they could. It might have made Jack reluctant initially except as a result of being the hyper-sexual man he was, it would be impossible to prevent his hands from rapidly traveling all over his lover's body and from using every single muscle in his mouth with the only thing capable of slowing him down being the unusual sensation of something wet against his face other than the saliva at the corners of his lips. He could feel it against his cheek and even when he realized that was where his nose was pressed, indicating the identity of the fluid, he still didn't put an end to their make-out session just because of a little mucus and among what they were doing to each other he couldn't hear how his soft moans turned into deep inhalations every chance he got to take a breath above his own noises although it came as a surprise when he abruptly pulled away. The captain opened his eyes to see the other man's were closed and in the split second it took him to realize what was about to happen it was agonizing knowing there was nothing he could do to prevent being hit directly in the face with even more mucus and saliva. Initially he was unaware of what had happened, only that his forehead inexplicably hurt from where they collided when he was pitched forward but once he absentmindedly brought a hand up to his nose and noticed it was dripping he put the pieces together which was emphasized by the fact he furiously scrubbed the moisture off his face before glaring intensely at him.

"Oh Ianto!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm-" he stammered out, only breaking from the stream of apologies when he had to sneeze again, barely able to remember this time to turn away and he would have continued to be overwhelmingly embarrassed for doing that to anyone let alone his boyfriend/boss if it wasn't for the realization he shouldn't put his body through that much stress but he still couldn't help feel remorseful when Jack looked back at him with a neutral expression, trying not to be angry anymore, "Sorry…"

"Alright, I get it. There's no point in being mad at you if you're just gonna freak out like this. It should be the opposite. Take solace in the fact on top of the countless other times I've been exposed to your germs this would've definitely made me sick too if I was prone to catching a cold."

"I still don't think that's true…"

"Hey, I think I know my body better than you do. But you're missing the point. It's not a big deal and I'm not upset with you anymore. Let's just move on and concentrate on getting you healthy, okay?"

"Whatever…"

"Oh, don't start being grumpy with me now. Tell me what's bothering you."

"It's not important."

"Come on, there's nothing you could say I wouldn't find important. If you're not gonna get it out I'll have to take drastic measures to make you talk like start kissing you again even if you end up-"

"No! We can't do that! If you kiss me now I'll never be able to forgive you!"

"Wow… that was a bit of an overreaction, especially when you were the one who-"

"I know, it's my fault. This is what I wanted to talk to you about only I was hoping I could stall a little longer."

"We can wait as long as you want… oh, but I just noticed your ice pack came off, must've fallen during that whole thing."

"Don't make me have it on again. My head still feels wet and cold."

"You don't have to keep it on. The ice's melted. It's not gonna have much of an effect anymore. I wonder if your fever went down."

"You're not going to take my temperature again either."

"Jeez, you get really stubborn when you're sick. I should remember that about you. If you don't want me to do it, I won't. Could you at least let me feel your forehead though," he reluctantly asked in order not to upset him anymore and once Ianto silently gave consent he placed a hand to his head after taking away the plastic bag filled with mostly water to briefly gauge whether his fever had reduced but also he stroked his hair back to wipe off the moisture that had clung to his skin, "There now, all nice and dry. Better, right?"

"Maybe, how do I feel?"

"You tell me first. Do you think there's been an improvement?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Because you're the one who's sick."

"So? That doesn't mean I can evaluate the severity of my own fever. You're beginning to get on my nerves, Jack."

"Oh, and you're not getting on mine?"

"All I'm saying is: you don't know what I can be like when I'm angry."

"Well you've seen me angry enough times to know what I'm like in a bad mood. I understand you're not feeling well because you caught a cold but that doesn't mean you can't be appreciative for having me here to help out."

"I don't have to be appreciative when I'm sick and you just need to deal with it."

"If you're gonna be like that you should know, I don't have to be here or do anything for you. I was just trying to be the good boyfriend and take care of his pathetic, weak boyfriend who's most likely over-exaggerating about how the symptoms of the most insignificant, 21st century illness are affecting him."

"You have no idea what this feels like!"

"Of course I don't, that's what makes this so much more frustrating! There won't ever be a moment in my infinite life where I have to be concerned over a disease. I'm better than you typical humans and don't need this aggravation. You're on your own, Ianto Jones, I'm done with you. Make sure you don't miss too much work but it doesn't really matter because honestly I'm rooting for the virus to completely take over your immune system."

Jack knew he was being harsh but didn't let it affect him from rapidly getting off the bed then storming out of his secret bedroom which he barely considered allowing him to stay in except he only got as far as planting his feet on the ground as a result of feeling the sick man grab his wrist, keeping a tight hold of it even as he tried to jerk his arm away and instead of being surprised enough to look at him he simply maintained that position of keeping his back towards him as the sound of sniffling broke the silence which he wondered was just the effects of his cold or something else before he finally got up the courage to question, "Don't you want to know what had been bothering me? I'm ready to tell you if you're willing to listen."

"Make it quick."

"I couldn't think about my health because I felt so stupid forcing you to kiss me-"

"It's not like you had to twist my arm to make me do something physical with another person."

"Okay well, I felt so stupid _asking_ you to kiss me when I hadn't considered all the negative consequences. No matter how much we talked about not overexerting myself we couldn't predict the highly likely outcome of me sneezing on you like that but I can't believe it happened. You must be absolutely disgusted with me."

"All you did was go along with your body's mechanisms because you're sick. The first part of that kiss was really nice. And even though it was very, very disgusting if I was forced to endure someone sneezing in my face I'm glad it was you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Cut me some slack, I'm trying. How about this: you shouldn't feel stupid just because of a mistake you made. You're an incredible, brilliant man and everyday when I see you working so hard and efficiently it impresses me so much I can't imagine a better person to fall in love with."

He felt awkward having those words come out of his mouth not only because it was too emotional for him but he still felt annoyed from dealing with his irrational behavior although it seemed he would have the opportunity to escape after his wrist was set free and he made it as far as the door, deciding he should at least take 1 last look at his worker except what he saw caused him to reconsider leaving. Ianto was sitting there with his upper body bent forward to partially conceal how his hands were tightly pressed against his face which to the captain was an incomprehensible gesture however once he noticed his shoulders began shaking and choking sobs were harshly breaking the silence despite how he desperately tried not to make a sound he was struck with the obvious realization. He became automatically motivated to rush back over then wrap his arms around him but after he was pulled in close the efforts made to comfort him didn't seem to have any effect because no matter what he did it still couldn't change how the sick man was inconsolable and as a result he needed to start talking to him despite strongly hoping he wouldn't have to do it.

"Oh Ianto, please don't cry. I'm so sorry for everything I said. I didn't mean any of it but I just can't handle-"

"By head's poudidg."

"Your head?"

"Ad by throat feels really sore."

"Okay… I don't understand why you're telling me-"

"Ad by dose keeps rudidg."

"Well that's because-"

"But the worst part is: dode of these sybptobs are particularly idtolerable. Headaches, sore throat, rudy dose, fever, chills, coughidg, sdeezidg, codgestiod… I dow they're dothidg cobpared to ady of the horrible deaths you had to suffer through."

"Obviously."

"It's whed they're cobided though which creates this feeling I'b sure is albost like dyidg. A dorbal, hubad body cad odly hadle so buch paid and havidg bultiple areas that are affectidg you all at once is-"

"Will you cut that out?! There's nothing that can convince me being sick is like dying! Whether it's 1 or multiple symptoms it's still just the common cold and-" he callously shouted but abruptly came to a halt after being struck with a realization and in the few moments he decided to back away from his boyfriend although moving to the center of the bed so he was sitting across from him, taking the time to go over his thoughts about everything that had been said it suddenly made sense why he hadn't shifted positions from keeping his head rested in his hands, "You're not feeling well and that's what's making you cry."

"I dow it's a childish respodse but I cad't help it. Baybe you should just go ad let be suffer id by bisery alode."

"No wait, hold on. I get what you're trying to tell me now. I said I didn't know how it felt and you were explaining it to me. Even though I can't experience it for myself or recognize the severity of what's going on inside your body it doesn't mean I should get caught up empathizing with you because no matter what I promised to take care of you. And it's a natural, human response to cry when you're in some sorta pain. It happened to me the 1st couple of times."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but it quickly went away after I kept dying in ways that were more horrible than the last. Anyway, you need to relax. It can't be good for you to stay in this upset state. And also, I'd really like it if we could get back to normal interactions between us, at least what's been normal since you're sick. I don't know what was going on with you but I'm gonna try to be patient and not antagonistic while you can just concentrate on getting better. How does that sound?"

"I hate this so buch…"

"What?"

"It's dot fair ad goidg to be very udpleasadt, possibly bore thad before, but the ratiodale thidg to do would be to treat by sybptobs agaid."

"Are you trying to say you should take more medicine?"

"Yes…"

"Aww you're so cute. I can't wait to start kissing you for real again. How about you move your hands away from your face, blow your nose because I can barely understand you, and make taking the medicine really quick? Of course, I could get you something to drink afterwards that'll take away that bitter taste, like juice. It'll be sweet and I think it's orange juice that's good for a cold because of the vitamin C, but I can get whatever flavor you like."

There were a few moments of silence before he shook his head, possibly maintaining the previous stance of not wanting to make him go through the trouble, then followed the suggestion of bringing his arms down which revealed the fact his eyes only looked a little red and puffy, indicating he wasn't crying very hard, except the lack of fluid in that location was made up for by the way his nose was profusely running, accounting for his highly stuffed-up tone. He only became aware of it after feeling the captain search around for his handkerchief then place it in his hand so he could blow his nose forcefully with the need to stop feeling congested overriding the concern about it being too repellent of a sound, since he still wanted to become intimate despite everything that happened. But it was only a passing thought because once his boyfriend got up from the bed then returned a few moments later with another dose of the medicine, he couldn't help pout while gazing at the measuring cup of falsely enticing, red liquid until finally he reluctantly accepted it and allowed it to go down his throat.

This time it seemed easier due to the absence of an involuntary response of rejection except for playfully sticking his tongue out and after he leaned back in an attempt to relax again Jack stood there looking at him, just a little bit away from the door, thinking he would have the opportunity to leave due to the inability to tolerate those feelings of resentment towards him he still held onto in addition to simply becoming fed up with being around a sick person. He was compelled to stop after noticing Ianto extending his arm out to him with his fingers outstretched in an obvious, silent gesture of wanting him to stay which hadn't quite been 100% convincing until his previous neutral expression had shifted to pleading and he would have felt too guilty if he hadn't taken his hand then went along with the motion of being pulled in towards him. Even though he didn't want to be around the cold inflicted man only a few seconds ago, he conceded to moving back onto the bed next to him which wasn't so bad since he took the measures of not only stretching out but taking off his shoes to make himself more comfortable as a result of the realization he probably wouldn't let him leave for a while.

They sat there in silence, maintaining a state of mutual detachment, until Ianto broke that trend by shifting slightly so he could make eye contact with the immortal man and he wasn't able keep himself from being influenced by the instinct to ease his suffering as he wrapped an arm around his waist, intertwined their free hands together then gave him a kiss on the lips which lasted about 30 seconds but still wasn't enough to be overexerting. For a moment there was a peaceful atmosphere although it didn't surprise him how it left just as quickly as it arrived when his body started trembling from the automatic mechanism of rapid inhalations while his head angled back before he sneezed, spraying the 2 of them but mostly his boyfriend since at that point he had his head rested against his shoulder, plus he wasn't covered with the blankets. Jack had to suppress the urge to express his exasperation with an obnoxiously loud sigh, instead just offering a smaller version of that then going about the gesture of rubbing his back to provide some comfort except he realized it was a bit more rough than intended, waiting until he finished dabbing at his nose with the handkerchief, now too soggy to use it fully, to initiate the decision of calmly yet compassionately engaging him.

"Bless you."

"Thank you…"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"No."

"You don't even know what it is yet."

"Every time you make a comment right after I sneeze, it's never a good thing."

"I'm only wondering if it's that difficult to cover your mouth," he innocently inquired, subtly displaying his displeasure with being subjected to his sternutory reflexes, although the way he looked at him with a deadpan stare that suggested he wasn't going to tolerate such a condescending statement caused him to become defensive, "Well it's not like I know anything about sneezing anyways…"

"Usually it's not difficult at all, and as the polite and proper thing to do I'm devoted to such precautionary measures for the rare occasion during that situation, when I can't control myself to prevent it, however that changes while I'm sick."

"Why?"

"Because… I don't really want to talk about this anymore."

"But I'm curious about how a non-immortal body works."

"It's too abrupt for me to realize what's about to happen."

"I still don't understand."

"Well, I can't feel it until it's too late and I would rather not constantly have my hand raised up to my face. It's so much easier now when I feel so drained to just let it come out and project my germs into the open air… oh god, that sounds so improper."

"You don't need to think about your manners when you're too busy concentrating on feeling better."

"That's true. And besides, it's not like I need to worry about you being exposed. In that sense, this situation works out fairly well. If I was being taken care of by anyone else they would have gotten sick too by now… not that I have anyone else who would be willing to do it or as well as you."

"I'm glad you think that and also how you do feel comfortable not being so… proper around me. It's nice when I think about it: you just letting yourself sneeze openly and not worrying about how I react to it."

"The truth is: I feel too exhausted to be embarrassed anymore."

"No, I believe no matter how exhausted you feel, if you were really self-conscious you probably could do something about it."

"But I was feeling that way before. I didn't want you seeing me like this and that's why I have been kind of ungrateful towards you. I would have rather you sent me home like I suggested initially then I wouldn't have to worry about any of this except I can't deny you being here with me through all this is wonderful. Still, when I look at it-"

Ianto was cut short when Jack leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips, mostly to keep the ailing man from expressing self-doubt any further if not just wanting to feel their tongues intermingling yet again and once they separated, briefly exchanging smiles to convey how nice it felt to start to return to their normal physical pursuits, he returned to the previous position of leaning up against his closest side. There was nothing to do except lay on his bed and wait until he asked for something with the lack of activity affecting him to the point of contemplating leaving his boyfriend to stay in that private room alone so he could be free to do other things like check on alien related matters until he was brought back to the present situation after becoming aware of the fact his body began trembling. At first he tried not paying much attention to it, but when he saw his mouth open he prepared himself for being sneezed on again although instead of a wet spray he experienced the sensation of his warm breath as a result of a yawn which he had attempted to hold back except it ended up coming out just as big if not more and once he overcame some of his embarrassment to focus back on the immortal man, it only caused some of that feeling to return when he looked into his eyes, conveying the message of how cute he thought he was at that moment.

"Excuse me."

"It's alright, you're tired. You should go to sleep now."

"I want to but…"

"What?"

"No, I can't ask you to do that."

"Come on, just get it over with. I'll probably do it."

"Alright, could you… tell me a bedtime story, please?"


	3. Chapter 3

He hesitated for a moment, trying to process whether he actually heard such a childish request come from the most professional man he had ever met, but once it got through he resisted the urge to groan, as a result of knowing it would be too hypocritical to refuse after imploring him to say it only a few seconds ago in addition to already making it clear he was willing to do everything to take care of him but this seemed too unreasonable and unnecessary, causing the captain to subconsciously back away from him then stare unenthusiastically as a way of expressing his hostile reluctance further displayed by sarcastic commenting, "Yeah, absolutely, that's great. Why wouldn't I tell you a bedtime story? I'm sure that's exactly what's gonna make you get better."

"Don't make me beg or worse, pout…"

"You think I'll be manipulated so easily?"

"I'm your boyfriend, temporarily, and I'm sick. It's practically an unspoken rule to do whatever he says with those 2 aspects combined. Besides, I keep telling you all the patience you have and good things you keep doing for me will be rewarded in a very special way."

"Well in that case, 1 bedtime story coming up. Once upon a time there was-"

"Wait, you're just going to make something up. What's the point of that when you have all these books around?"

"It's a collection I've accumulated over the years. Don't you think I look like a well-read man?"

"You look like a man well-read in sex."

"That's very true. Anyway, they're more serious books that I'd read when I'm alone and have nothing else to do but if you wanna hear a bedtime story, I should make it filled with brave knights, damsels in distress and scary monsters."

"Yes well, just because it's a juvenile thing to ask doesn't mean I want you to tell me some fairy tale as though I'm a child. Be creative and give me a thought provoking story."

"I can't get over how demanding you could be only when you have a cold."

"Come on Jack, I don't feel well and I'm tired."

"Alright, don't get upset. I'll tell you something good I promise. Once upon a time, a very long time about 900 years or so, a man was born on a very far away planet. His race wasn't threatening necessarily to the human population, rather brilliant and spectacular. In fact, he might've been the most brilliantly spectacular or spectacularly brilliant out of them all, but they were amazingly powerful with abilities and technology unseen in any other species. He had a normal childhood, just like everybody else I assume, but there was 1 big difference between him and the rest of his people: he was bored. So 1 day he decided to take his spaceship, which as I say that word really doesn't do it justice, and come visit Earth. He was fascinated with humans, wanting to learn about how they think and feel to the point where he became captivated by them. In that endless devotion he made a decision: to protect the people of this planet, and he's done it so many times but never expects to be thanked. Of course, it wasn't just for that simple reason. He was also lonely because he was the last of his kind. They were all wiped out by another species in a war. After spending centuries of traveling alone only with his ship to keep him company, he made another crucial decision. Instead of keeping his distance and watching over everything impartially he became involved with a few special humans that he called his… companions."

"Companions?"

"Yeah… this is the 1st time I said it out loud but that's definitely what he calls us- them, I meant to say what he calls them."

"I don't like the sound of that word. It has a very unpleasant connotation, but I suppose that doesn't bother you."

"No, you got the wrong idea. There's nothing like that going on with him and his companions."

"But you said he was lonely and-"

"He is but things in that sort of nature never really occur to him."

"What, men from other planets don't have desires?"

"Not him."

"Really?"

"It's because he doesn't fall in love or pursue physical relationships. He has no desire to and is almost incapable of it, probably because of his perceived superiority above humans. Still, that doesn't stop him from being loved by his companions."

"In what ways do his companions love him?"

"For your information, they're all female with a few exceptions. He prefers the company of the opposite sex."

"Okay… but what about-"

"You're asking me too many questions and it's detracting from the story."

"No, it's not a story. You're telling me-"

"Let's go over the crucial details so far. There was a man born a long time ago and he was an alien. He was also the last of his race because they all got destroyed in a war, except for another man but that's a story for a different night. He explored the universe as a lonely traveler until he decided to seek the companionship of a few special humans. At 1st thought it seemed like they were random, people who just were at the right place at the right time… actually it was more like they were in need of rescuing. But when you take a moment to analyze his motivations, he really chooses his companions wisely: those who are brave, curious to see worlds completely different to theirs and level-headed. There are times where he loses sight of the small details or just takes on too many things and whoever's with him needs to keep him in line."

"It sounds like he's dangerous."

"Yeah, at times he can be only because he gets carried away interfering with planets and people all across the universe, trying to bring some level of morality to them except… it always ends up getting him and his companions in trouble. Because he's been alive for so long he's made a lot of enemies who have ancient grudges against him and he's obsessed with destroying them. Sometimes it's hard to tell which's the actual bad one."

"Why would anyone want to be around a man like that? Even if he can take you to different planets you only get put in harm's way and are subjected to his ideals. Is it really worth it?"

"Absolutely… because even if everything goes horribly wrong or you see things that completely change your perspective none of that matters, all you really wanna experience is just being in his presence. There's something so incredibly magnificent about-"

"Do you realize how many adjectives you're using to describe him? Keep it up and you'll start making me jealous."

"No, it's really not like that believe me. The question you asked earlier, how do the companions love him, well… it also doesn't matter because he's completely oblivious to it. At 1st we-"

"You mean to say they."

"Right, thanks for catching that. They're appreciative to him for giving the opportunities to travel to such wonderful places and experience just a small portion of what his life's like. But then you realize it's him, how much he knows and has lived through. Just spending 1 second together in the most mundane of locations can make you feel so alive… he never has any companion stay with him for long though, always moving onto the next…"

"What was the something so incredibly magnificent about him?"

"Huh… oh the something, yeah. He's been alive for a very long time and can never die."

"Like you?"

"Not quite, with the way his body works whenever he suffers a fatal injury he changes his appearance completely, becoming an entirely different man. I believe it's a trait of his species, not that there's any of them left to compare it to, but with him it's so amazing. Every time he regenerates, he gets handsomer and handsomer not to mention younger looking. It almost makes me wanna kill him to see what sorta new form he'll take next, you know, if I didn't admire and respect him so much. Plus he'd probably see it coming anyways… of course, the way he looks right now is-"

"Would you say you're attracted to him?"

"I never said I know who this man I'm describing is. Remember, it's just a story."

"Stop lying to me! I know you're talking about the man you left us for a little while back. You said he was a doctor who might be able to explain why you can't die. Did you ever get that answer?"

"Yeah… but just because you know the reason for why something happens doesn't make it any better when you keep on experiencing it."

"You never told us he was an alien."

"It never came up. There's nothing to worry about because he's not like the ones we deal with. He's a good alien, and the best thing about him is he looks completely human. Sometimes when you're staring at him, you almost forget he's a…"

"A what? Just tell me."

"Time lord… please don't ask me to explain what that is."

"What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one, or I should say he's never told it to anybody. I certainly don't know it. Listen, we really need to stop-"

"If you had a choice whether to go back and travel with him, would you do it?"

"Enough Ianto! It doesn't matter! This has to stop because it is just a story! The only way I'm gonna see him again is if I track him down, which was almost impossible the 1st time, since he's doesn't wanna see me again! He thinks I'm wrong and has told me that right to my face just because something happened to me that wasn't even in my control! Why would anyone choose to be this way?! Everything I experienced with him is all in the past and that's why at this point it's a story! I kept it going because I know how much you wanted to hear those things and I got caught up in talking about it too…"

He not only trailed off after that intense outburst but became withdrawn from him by turning his head in the opposite direction at first then going so far as to moving his body away in order for them not to be touching anymore and it made him feel terrible to create a situation where he was uncomfortable except the worst feeling was not regretting causing it since he had been so curious to learn just a small part about the circumstances when he was gone. Of course all those thoughts were put out of his mind when they were replaced with the familiar tickling sensation that he desperately attempted to overcome which he realized was inevitable no matter how much he tried to prevent it and the only thing left to do was come to terms with that fact in addition to cover his mouth when the sneeze burst out. He expected Jack to remain closed off or at least irritated at the sudden reminder of his illness however it came as a surprise to see him abruptly shift his focus back, looking caught off guard at first until his demeanor changed to sympathetic and after he picked up the handkerchief to offer it to his under the weather boyfriend so he could wipe off his hand then blow his nose, finally understanding why that tactic wasn't so ideal, it made them both feel better when they smiled at each other.

"Bless you. I almost forgot you're sick."

"Yes, me too."

"Is there anything you need me to get or do for you?"

"No thank you, I'm fine."

"Except for the part about your body fighting against a disease."

"Please just try to be a little more tactful."

"That's what I had been doing except for-"

"Jack?"

"Yeah, you thought of something like you're thirsty or hungry? I could get you more soup?"

"No I… don't want to put you through the trouble."

"Aww that's not fair. I need to do a good job of being your boyfriend and do something to make up for what happened."

"If you're so adamant on that, I would be willing to have you continue telling me the rest of your story."

"But I thought-"

"You were right. It was just a story. You could tell me some of the other things he did with his companions, only if you still feel like it of course."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do… nah, I got another idea instead."

"What?"

"I'm gonna tell you an even better story. Come here, in order to set the mood we have to be in a more intimate arrangement."

Jack extended his arms out to his worker, indicating he wanted him to move in close, and as Ianto adjusted positions by turning into him so their torsos were pressed together with his legs spread far apart on either side of the captain in addition to wrapping their arms around the opposite's body, without anything to hinder their contact since he had the foresight of getting underneath the blankets with him, they spent a few moments enjoying the feeling of being in each other's embrace before he broke the silence by initiating another narrative although in a softer tone for this one to provide the appropriate ambiance, "Once upon a time there was a man, a different man, who was completely human but he comes from a time-"

"How long ago does this story take place?"

"That, my dear Ianto, is just the start of where things get interesting. It doesn't take place until very far into the future, or at least the 1st part."

"Like the 51st century?"

"Maybe… so this man was born in the 51st century into an average family: mom, dad, brother… and his childhood was very typical and happy except for this 1 horrible thing…"

"Jack, you don't have to tell me anything you're-"

"Oh but his teenage years… they were amazing. Once he hit puberty and everything began to work properly down there, he couldn't stop from having sex with everyone who basically said hello to him. It didn't matter who it was, although it'd be a lie to say he didn't enjoy the boys just a little bit more. But still, there was only so much of that he could do without finding it boring eventually and he wanted more outta life so he chose a very interesting career path. He signed up to join this group, well it was more of-"

"An agency?"

"Yeah, they were an agency that dealt with-"

"Time?"

"It's not gonna be fun if you keep on predicting what comes next."

"Sorry, but I'm really anxious to hear the things I don't already know."

"Well I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it so far. He worked as a time agent for a little while, the 1st to be hired as a matter of fact and it was good, really good except then… he stopped working there. It's so stupid. That job in the future was so selective and everybody wanted it. Still, people respected and admired those who were capable of being a part of it and in spite of all that he just walked away from the whole thing but… they stole his memories, 2 years worth and he had no idea why. He could've done anything during that time, who knows how many people he had sex with, and just thinking about what's only a microscopic fraction of his infinite life makes him so…"

"Jack, it's okay. I was trying to tell you: you don't have to talk about anything that you're uncomfortable with. But I'm curious to know what happened after that?"

"He became a con man."

"Really?"

"Yeah, since he kept the technology to time travel he was able to go to different eras, even planets and basically screw up the lives of the local people by being dishonest, seedy and manipulative all in the attempt to get revenge on the agency. He went so far as to steal another man's identity, which was a real shame because he was a great man, not to mention kisser."

"You stole a man's identity after you kissed him?"

"No, it wasn't like that. He died… as a brave captain who led his men into battle and made sure none of them were hurt. He gave his life to protect them…"

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"But it wasn't all bad. At least he liked him and probably would've wanted him to take his name. Besides, the title of Captain Jack Harkness just suits him so well, don't you think so?"

"You know, it's getting annoying how you keep narrating in the 3rd person when it's clearly you you're talking about yourself."

"It's more fun this way."

"Well it's more fun for me to hear the history of my boss and wonderful boyfriend."

"This isn't easy. It's the 1st time I'm letting someone get this close to me."

"I find it hard to believe you never had anyone-"

"In a personal way, not physical. But they're just events that took place in the past and don't really have anything to do with right now. Also I wanna treat you to something special because you're sick. If you tell these things to any living soul I'll-"

"Why would I want to share your secrets? It makes me feel amazing to be the only person who knows all of them."

"Just you wait until I can make you feel amazing in other ways."

"Jack please…"

"Yeah, you're right. Let's continue on with the story, in 1st person if that's what you want."

"Very much so."

"You never answered my question: do you think that name suits me?"

"I couldn't picture you with another name. It's perfect. Still I can't help but wonder…" he began to muse, unable to help his curiosity that got the best of him but the desire to hear that 1 piece of information quickly disappeared once he realized it created the reaction of him turning his head away to completely avoid his gaze while moving his hands away that were previously on his back clearly indicating he crossed a line, "Oh okay, I'm so sorry. You don't need to tell me what your real name is. Instead describe what lead you from con man to the head of a secret organization protecting the earth from aliens."

"So I could never regret going down that path in my life because it brought me to meeting the doctor and how he saved me."

"Oh wow, that's amazing. What happened for him to save you?"

"You see… it was him and 1 of his companions, I had set them up in a con of mine, the last con I ever did. Now I'm not saying the doctor reformed me, because there isn't a single being in the whole of space and time that can make a saint outta this sinner, but I realized there were so many things the universe had to offer me like spending time traveling with people who only enjoyed your company for what it was. The situation was bad. I ended up causing a problem I didn't foresee except I decided to do the right thing before it was too late and that meant being blown up in a spaceship, which I had accepted. I already left the time agency and had nobody who cared about me so there was nothing to lose but then… he came in his ship and saved me from being destroyed. He didn't know anything about me and this was before the accident so we got along great, and his companion and her ex-boyfriend. We had 1 adventure together, taking down an alien who was planning to use a nuclear explosion, in Cardiff as a matter of fact trying to manipulate the rift's tremendous energy to get back to her home planet. Of course we stopped it, then the ex left, so it was just the 3 of us and maybe I would've felt like a 3rd wheel if we actually went on a real trip together. Oh hell, I know I would've but that never happened. We were forced into a dangerous situation, transported far into the future suddenly, that had the chance to be fixable and among all the other horrible incidents, there was only 1 of them that truly stuck in my mind to this day. If you consider it from a linear timeline it only happened 2 years ago but with my personal timeline, it's more like 200 so it really feels weird to think about the moment when I… gained my immortality."

"Is this the part of the story where things become bad?"

"Well, it's just where it takes a dramatic turn. Like most events in my life, something bad leads to many good things. We got transported into the future and were trapped in this place. At first things weren't that bad and it was kinda fun for a little while but then a group of aliens arrived."

"What kind?"

"The worst kind, the ones that can't be reasoned with and only have a single goal: to destroy everything that isn't like them. We were in this place, I was buying the doctor some time because he was working on a solution to get rid of them and by that point all the other people fighting them. I died because they killed me. It felt like forever I was lost in the dark with nothing to but then I was brought back."

"How?"

"His companion did it. She absorbed his alien technology's power and was capable of things beyond any human, even beyond the doctor's capabilities. She made me alive again but couldn't control it, so it got stuck. I became a fixed point in time, meaning there's nothing that can stop me from existing."

"That's really why you can't die?"

"Yeah, what did you think it was?"

"I don't know, something more extraordinary like you drank a potion or were put under a curse-"

"Ianto, I was cursed and I'm sorry if you don't think being made immortal through some woman who had absorbed the heart of the Tardis isn't that extraordinary-"

"What?"

"Never mind, finish up so we don't have to talk about this anymore."

"It just seems weird you had to die and were dead for however long until she brought you back."

"But that's how my immortality works. I get killed and then keep coming back. It'd be more convenient if I didn't die since it's happened so many times or if I didn't feel the pain. I don't know which one's worse: constantly getting killed or experiencing the injuries that comes with each unique death. Sometimes when I'm bored I think about which occasion was-"

"Are you mad at his companion for doing this to you, or perhaps did you get your revenge for it?"

"No, it was an accident. Nobody could predict the outcome of what happened and maybe she did it because she cared enough about me not to have me die. Of course I haven't seen her since then and she forgot about the whole thing so I'll never know why she did it. But we had some fun times before that. So it was when I tried conning them. I had her in my ship. We were high up in the sky, in London, during the German air raids, right next to Big Ben. We had some champagne and were dancing to romantic music. It was perfect, except things went bad right after that then were good then got even worse as I already told you. Oh, and I forgot to mention how gorgeous she was. I couldn't possibly get revenge on such an attractive and sweet-"

"I'm really glad you're not travelling with him and his companions anymore. The only women you have to be attracted to around here are Gwen, who I'm still not convinced you're unattracted to but she's taken so that can never happen, and Tosh but I don't see that being very likely either. And if you want to go the other way there's Owen but he's awful and completely repulsive not to mention straight so when you look at it like that I'm your only choice for participating in physical pursuits with. Still, my point stands that I couldn't be happier to have your attention solely focused on me now. And I suppose if you wanted, you could go out and find some random person to sleep with most likely at a bar but you can't find anyone who doesn't need to have an explanation about how you can't die or the line of work you're in. So then, what do you say to that?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"It depends."

"Oh, but you'll like it."

"Fine."

"I just wanna tell you: you're incredibly sexy when you get jealous," he commented, being completely sincere although it had the added effect of preventing him from continuing with that line of conversation by now focusing his thoughts on the seductive compliment and despite how he could have kept going with saying those kinds of things to him the way he became flustered clearly indicated it would be best to move on, "And you need to stop interrupting me. We can't talk about this all night and I haven't gotten to the best part. He left me behind, whether it was on purpose or not, so I used my technology from the time agency to try and go back to the 21st century but I overshot it then the stupid thing stopped working so I wound up 2 centuries earlier where I had the chance to test out my new capabilities, mostly by getting into fights. It was the same routine as I could only wait until the time passed for me to be in the present where I could be reunited with the doctor again. I just had to find him because with the way things left off I had no idea what happened and also, I needed an explanation as to why I couldn't die. Eventually though I had become too noticeable. There were 2 women who found me, thinking I was an alien with those inhuman powers and they interrogated me, fatally. They kept killing me but when I found out about their goal of treating the doctor as a hostile enemy, I had to convince them they were wrong since not only wasn't he a threat but had been protecting our planet from aliens. I guess they believed me because they let me go except I was forced to work for them and even though I disagreed with their methods I stayed there because I knew as long as I remained in Cardiff where the rift was, the doctor would come back to that location. It just took over 100 years. So, I became an official member their group which was solely dedicated to the pursuit of tracking down and subduing every and all alien forces they could get their hands on. Can you guess what it's called?"

"Torchwood, I studied up on our organization's history just not on your 1st person point of view on it which isn't in the files. It was started by Queen Victoria in 1879 to protect Great Britain from the extraterrestrial threat and has continued that endeavor despite the fact of its policies changing into the more modern era."

"Yeah, but their unofficial motto still hasn't changed even to this day: if-"

"If it's alien, it's ours. I know that too. Come on, I just want to hear about you."

"Alright, don't worry. It's just hard to separate myself from it sometimes when I've been working there for almost 1½ centuries. Let me just say this: for all the time I worked at the Cardiff branch of Torchwood we kept ourselves quiet, erasing all traces of what we do from the public unlike the London branch which had the tendency for flashy displays of their capabilities. We knew what was happening when Torchwood One was falling apart but we stayed outta it and became the highest ranking branch of the whole thing, not to mention the only branch. As for the personal aspect, I became the head of Torchwood Three right at the millennium when… everyone else just…"

"How?"

"No, it doesn't matter. My team members were gone and I was in charge so that meant I needed to get a new one but before that I made a decision. It wasn't just enough to protect the planet indiscriminately. With all the potential Torchwood had through its privilege of alien awareness, there had to be the realization that species different from the human race aren't unconditionally bad and should be treated with dignity, you know, unless they're trying to kill us. But that new rationality still couldn't compare to the other aspect I changed. This is where we get to the best part. I spent some time searching for the right people and once I did, there was no stopping us. It started with a computer genius who could solve any technological problem and make it look easy with her only flaw being a slight lack of self-confidence, then a doctor who was just as sarcastic and cynical as he was proficient at physiology including that of non-human life forms, next a cop who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up seeing something she shouldn't have which she pursued out of sheer curiosity and finally the best for last: a man who was so intent on working for me he brought me a cup of _his_ coffee every morning, refusing to stop bugging me until I hired him. There was an incident with a pterodactyl that couldn't have been resolved without his help and afterward when we were in the position of him laying on top it was at that moment I knew I couldn't have a proper team without him. But it was mostly selfishness on my part, I sensed something in this man that wasn't for his work ethic which made me believe there was a real purpose for me living out of my own time so it could be a place I belonged once again. Oh sure, at the beginning he just had trivial tasks of making coffee, which was however the best coffee in the whole universe at any given time period, and doing paperwork but he had been given more responsibilities, because he was so capable at everything, and got to be out in the field searching for aliens. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all perfect. There were a few rough moments where he temporarily broke my trust by hiding his cyber girlfriend in my basement then I guess I broke his by leaving without saying anything but eventually we became involved with one another beyond the professional level, which wasn't easy since he just couldn't overcome this taboo of interacting with his boss in an unprofessional way and hated the idea of having to work for a sexual partner. But I knew it was hard for him so we started out slow, just having small moments together when the other team members were away that mainly occurred late at night once they had left. There was this 1 time we were out investigating in an office building and I asked him out on a date except I think that caught him off guard because he didn't-"

"Oi, I wasn't caught off guard. That was when we were looking for a bomb set up by that John Hart bloke."

"Aww come on, it was such a nice story then you go ahead and say something like that to ruin it."

"Yes well, it wasn't even a real bomb and I didn't appreciate repeatedly being called eye-candy by him."

"It sounded like a compliment to me."

"Of course it would to you. But regardless of that I find it very interesting, suspicious almost, how you haven't mentioned him in your story not even at the beginning."

"You're already talking about how you were annoyed with him so why would you wanna-"

"He said you were partners in every sense of the word and because of some time thing, you ended up together for 5 years so practically it was like you were married."

"So what if we were? I'm not with him now and to be honest, he's become too out of control so it wasn't like the old days. More importantly, he threatened all of you and that's just-"

"But you like that type of personality, don't you?"

"What?"

"A man who's confident, dominant, reckless, even a little dangerous so when you're together you can relax and take a break from being that way yourself. It must feel nice…"

"No it doesn't, and just for your information, I've been with men who're the opposite of that."

"You've been with other men like me?"

"Well, I've been with so many types of men, every type of man, but there all unique which means I haven't been with another man like you. You're extraordinary."

"I highly doubt that. You probably say such things to whoever you're with at the current time… who was your first?"

"No, I'm not-"

"Which man did you find the most attractive or adventurous or passionate or-"

"Really, Ianto? You wanna have me talk about my ex-lovers with you? That doesn't sound like something you'd ask."

"I'm just trying to figure out how I compare… how I'll end up fitting into your infinite life."

"If you had let me finish the story then you'd hear me continue and maybe find out that answer."

"Alright, keep going."

"You see, the thing is… I don't know. It's hard to tell how anything fits into my life until it's done and I can look at it as a whole. I hope our relationship lasts for a very long time. So then, I met this man-"

"Hold on, you skipped a part of the story."

"No I didn't."

"But you did. You forgot about that time when you ran off to find your doctor. I already heard about how you met him once then wanted to see him again so he could explain things where you had to wait all that time but what happened then?"

"Oh, nothing much, the usual stuff between 2 old friends: how're you doing, what's been going on with you for the past century, I really like the new woman traveling with you not to mention that new face change you got."

"Can I tell you something?"

"Not when you ask it like that."

"Well, you'll have to forgive my bluntness but you need to know this and out of all the things you've been through it's rare for you not to be aware of 1 specific detail, wouldn't you agree?"

"What the hell is it?"

"It never even occurred to you on that day when you were running across the plaza shouting doctor that somebody was watching you, but I was through the cameras outside. We were wondering what happened to you but I quickly decided to take a look without them around."

"Then you must've seen it, right?"

"Seen what?"

"The thing I was running towards. It was a blue box, like the kind police had used and people could make calls in except it's from the 1960's. You'd definitely know if you saw it."

"I didn't see anything like that because I only watched you for a second. That was all I could tolerate. I knew what you were doing and that you couldn't be stopped."

"If you saw me why didn't you chase after me? When you think about it that way, it's your own fault you're mad at me for leaving because you could've tried to stop me."

"Would it have made any difference?"

"Actually… I would've been extremely pissed off at you because if I had slowed down I wouldn't have been able to catch him. I made it just in time before he flew off but it might've been nice to see you just for a brief moment."

"Please just tell me where you went. When you came back I could tell… something had changed with you and more importantly… it really hurt when you left… but I understand your reasons after you told them to me and-"

"It wasn't supposed to happen. None of us knew what to expect. I caused it but it wasn't my fault. There was me, the doctor and his new companion. He replaced the one who he lost. The 3 of us ended up a trillion years into the future where it was the end of the universe. In the year 200,100 that's when the sun explodes and the Earth ends but all those years later everything's changed and the human race becomes… anyway, that's where we were and we started investigating because that's what you do with him but then he found someone who he had known for a very long time. It was another man from his home planet, another time lord, and we were thinking it was great because now he wasn't the last of his species but the master had become-"

"The master?"

"Yeah, that's what he's called just like he's the doctor. But that's not important. After so many years of hiding since he had escaped the war on their planet he was angry, bitter and completely insane with all those emotions solely directed towards the doctor. He planned to take the humans of the future to a place he called utopia which wasn't the bad part but then his true self was awakened and he regenerated. I'll speed things up at this point, only giving you the details that focused around me since that's all you're really interested in hearing. He set loose these creatures that were destroying humans and when the 3 of us tried to stop him-"

"There's something I don't understand. If you had already found the doctor, which was the sole reason you left, when there was an alien invasion why didn't you ask us for help or were you too busy with him to even think of us? Or didn't you believe we can handle that type of situation as well as-"

"Do you remember being told about something you needed to investigate a little while after I left? It was in some remote location…"

"The Himalayas, and yes I do. But what are you saying?"

"He set that up as a diversion just so you'd be outta the way and couldn't help. Think about it. Did you really find anything there?"

"No we didn't… I can't believe it. I knew there was something suspicious about the alert we received regarding that but Owen took charge and wouldn't listen to me, yet again, and since Gwen and Tosh were siding with him I had no choice except-"

"The point is I could've used your help and I wanted you there but he was so intent on holding the doctor as his prisoner he foresaw everything that had the potential to stop him."

"You know, the things you're telling me don't make sense. When had there been-"

"I'll get to that. So, the doctor was forced into a state where he couldn't do anything, his companion managed to escape using my vortex manipulator but she had to be on the run and as for me, I was chained up and held captive for an entire year. During that time I-"

"What do you mean a year? You weren't gone that long."

"I know… the thing is, once everything was reversed the whole Earth travelled back in time before the aliens started attacking so it was like none of it ever happened and that's why to every other human except me and his companion, they only perceive it as a few days. Let's see… the last big event that happened with this was the president being killed. I bet you remember that."

"Of course, I was watching it at the time and saw those things, we all were actually. After coming back from that assignment none of us were speaking to each other but when we heard the news the president was assassinated everything that happened before didn't seem very important. We hadn't started talking until we were forced to do our jobs again but I was thinking to myself: it had to be something that you were involved with."

"What made you believe that?"

"Just a feeling… anyway, it was almost insulting not to be aware of an alien presence, since that's what we do, and instead the situation was being handled by Prime Minister Saxon-"

"Harold Saxon was just the human alias for the master."

"The head official of the British government was a… time lord?"

"You're getting too caught up in the unimportant details."

"Yes, I understand that but just tell me: what happened that was so bad the entire human race couldn't be allowed to remember it?"

"That wasn't it. The decision to reverse time was involuntary caused by the doctor's time machine since it needed to fix the damage that had been done to it after being turned into a paradox machine instead."

"A what?"

"Don't worry about it. When you're with the doctor, you hear all kinds of crazy things even considering the crazy things we're familiar with."

"Tell me: what were those aliens that had been so against the human race they would murder the president of the United States?"

"I… can't say it. They weren't aliens but what they actually were… is too horrible to say out loud."

"Even for you?"

"Yeah… don't you think we talked about this long enough?"

"We have, but I interrupted you. What were you about to say about the year you were imprisoned? I can't imagine you going through that, every horrible thing you experienced, and still when you're here all we see is our boss who organizes us so we can fight aliens and acts so confident and dominant and-"

"That's because I don't let stuff from my past affect me in the present. It helps to have someone near me who can make me forget about all those horrible things at least for the moments when we're alone together."

"In that case, it must feel unbearable to be all by yourself… oh, I did it again. You just say what you want and then we'll talk about something much more pleasant."

"You were the one who wanted to talk about this. I'd be happy just laying here with you not talking about anything but that'd probably be boring for you and I guess having access to an immortal man who's done so many other things is too tempting of an offer to pass up."

"Exactly, it's not like being around a man who's only good at office work and making coffee."

"Don't say that. Being around a man like that is something to be treasured. So then, I was stuck in this place, an airship above the Earth, for a whole year chained up without any opportunity to escape since I was being watched constantly until our plan formed to try confronting the master. I had a lot of time to think, as you can imagine, about all sorts of things: my early years on the Boeshane Peninsula, the work I've done at the time agency, being a con artist, meeting the doctor and Rose, serving the Torchwood Institute for over a century then becoming in charge of it, having my own team but that's the thought I focused the most on. I missed you and wanted to see you so badly. It's like I said: I came back for you and that was my only motivation for keeping my hopes up. It's because of you I'm back here just as I had been and I can't thank you enough for that."

"Am I supposed to accept your gratitude?"

"What?"

"When you said that the 1st time, I thought you only were talking to me but then you widened that statement to the whole team and I'm not upset by that, it's just when you're specifically thanking me I know it's a lie."

"No it's not, and now that were alone I can tell you: I meant it when I said you. Sure the others are great and I really like working with them but you're on the top of my list. I came back for you, Ianto Jones, and there's no other way to interpret that. So then, tell me how you feel knowing you're the reason I'm here right at this moment," he seductively asked, not surprised by his lack of a verbal response since it was an answer he expected to be displayed physically, hoping to coax it out through the gesture of wrapping his arms around the cold-stricken man's torso to pull him in as a result of how he had gradually backed away although when he moved his hands up to his neck the intense heat created the need to jerk them away, serving as a sudden reminder how sick he was along with the dazed look in his eyes which he just realized at that moment and despite wanting to confirm whether his fever was that severe by feeling his forehead, he knew that tactic would only be met with hostility so instead he simply inquired, "Are you alright?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Keep going, I want to hear you keep talking about your life."

"Well in that case, you really distracted me from my main story which is the only thing I'm interested in talking about. I met this man when he was obsessed with the desire to work for me and it's been about 1½ years since that time. He's changed a lot from that point and I've become aware of his development but still, apparently he's retained a lack of self confidence because he doesn't realize what an incredible, magnificent, brilliant, spectacular, amazing, intelligent, wonderful, attractive, sexy, gorgeous… hey, what's wrong? Why don't you look like you're into this anymore? Aren't I using enough adjectives for you?"

"Yes, it's j-just… I'm s-sorry but I…"

"Oh, you have to sneeze?"

He nodded, just before falling victim to a barrage of sneezes brought on by how he held them back up until that point in his story despite that it had become derailed and as a result of being within such close proximity of the captain when his head snapped down he came into contact with his chest which wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for how each successive sneeze was more forceful than the last, but rather than focusing on the wet patch gradually forming on his undershirt from Ianto's bodily fluids he couldn't help concentrate on something else. Every time it happened there was the occurrence of his body spasming violently, an effect that he experienced almost as strongly, and it had also compelled him to instinctively react by wrapping his arms around the sneezing man's waist in an action that could be rationalized as means of stabilizing him except both of them knew better than that since he wanted to feel the sensation of his boyfriend practically thrusting into him with each compulsive burst of air for however long the fit would last. By the time it had subsided, he was left with a raw feeling in his throat, lightheadedness and in desperate need of his handkerchief which he hadn't been able to locate resulting in the mechanism of sniffling while the former time agent was taking deep breaths, unable to even look at him in an attempt to control how aroused he was without any outlet to alleviate his sexual excitement and he only came to his senses after feeling him struggle against his grip, disappointed when he moved to the other side of the bed even though it was for the best although once he finally focused back on him to make sure he was okay the expression of guilt on his face couldn't have possibly cause him to worry about his own problems anymore.

"Oh Jack, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's alright. I know. It wasn't in your control, like all the other times… bless you."

"Thank you but-"

"I was starting to think you were gonna go without sneezing up until you fell asleep."

"Yes… I was trying to control myself because the things you were telling me sounded so important and I didn't want to interrupt but I just couldn't do it anymore and even now since I have given in, I can feel that I won't be able to-" he attempted to explain except was cut off by another loud and powerful sneeze with a sharp sniffle following in order to prevent his nose from running, providing an example of what he was warning about and he managed to quickly overcome the woozy sensation only to notice the increase in his body temperature it caused him to consider the answer he failed to supply when he questioned him about his condition but after hearing the involuntary, unrestrained groan coming from the man next to him, despite how they already were separated, who had once again taken up the tactic of turning away the only thing on his mind was becoming aroused as well if not to a slightly lesser extent, leaving him with a different feeling of embarrassment than he had previously experienced, "Excuse me."

"Bless you."

"Thank you… I need you to know that wasn't the same as before. I should have gotten off of you the second I felt my nose tickle and then right now you wouldn't be so-"

"I'm fine. Considering everything that's happened already, it really doesn't matter."

"That's not true. Just because I'm not feeling well doesn't mean I'm not paying attention to your needs. But I guess the only thing I can do about that now is try getting better. I promise the moment when I stop feeling so hot and… sneezy I'm going to do something about the way you're feeling hot."

"Yeah, that's… how hot do you feel?"

"Hot enough."

"Can I-"

"No, you're not taking my temperature again."

"Alright but can I just place my hand on your forehead," he cautiously inquired although that was where his reluctance temporarily ended since he nodded in consent, keeping the thought of being unable to refuse any opportunity for Jack to touch him to himself, and after feeling his hand pressed against his skin he became lost in the pleasure of him stroking his hair back mainly as means to wipe away the sweat then kissing his forehead until the sound of his concerned sigh brought him back to the current situation, "Oh Ianto, it's as I thought. Your fever's gotten high again. I don't know if it's where it had been before, that'd require the use of a thermometer, but it's definitely-"

"I may not be immortal, but I can handle a fever. The worst part of it is only I might be a little delirious… and hot, except I feel cold too."

"How can you feel hot and cold at the same time?"

"It's called being sick."

"Fine, whatever it is I should try finding a way to bring your temperature down. Would you want me to get another icepack?"

"No."

"And I'm assuming you don't want more of that medicine either?"

"I don't but it's not good to take too many doses of any kind of medicine in a short amount of time. I promise I'll take some more in the morning."

"You don't seem to realize it's only a few hours until morning. You first came into my office just before midnight and ever since then you stayed awake so I could take care of you and talk with you except for the small nap you took but you need to sleep for real."

"Oh I see… then I'll drink another dose in the afternoon when I wake up after I've gone to sleep."

"When do you think that'll happen?"

"Whenever I feel like."

"But aren't you tired? You were before."

"I'm not now."

"Come on, if you're gonna do nothing for your fever then I think you should-"

"Wait, I never said I wasn't going to do anything about it. I know what you can do for me to help things."

"What?"

"Get me a glass of water, please. It's obvious. If I'm too hot then I should have something cool. I probably should have been drinking water sooner but I wasn't thinking and now the dry feeling in my throat is becoming too unbearable."

"I'll be right back with your water. Don't move."

The captain rushed out of bed then the room without sparing a single moment to look back at him mostly because he felt guilty from not realizing the simple necessity of him having water either but also he simply didn't want to leave him alone for very long and even though he had been given the perfect opportunity to explore the hub when there was a lack of activity since wandering around the facility that served as his unconventional work environment felt so enticing to him, not that he was capable of doing anything at that moment except laying down, he stayed put and simply surveyed the surroundings of his boss' private bedroom once again. He was gone for an unusually long amount of time, considering how he only went out just for some water, except that still hadn't concerned him since with the extra minutes spent alone he not only could let his mind wander about just exactly what was hiding amongst the books and secret compartments that he warned him not to go through but give into the exhaustion by allowing himself to yawn widely several times as a result of feeling the effects of staving off sleep that he refused to admit to him although he was nearly caught mid-yawn when he returned, appearing to be distracted by something due to his dazed expression as he closed the door then walked across the room.

There were a few moments he stood next to the bed with his gaze directed at a random location, possibly staring at 1 of the hiding spots, before turning his focus to the sick man while extending out his beverage and the cool sensation felt in his hands, running down his throat then spreading throughout his entire body was intoxicating, almost better than anything else he could have experienced at that moment, causing him to lose touch with what was going on around him which resulted in not noticing how Jack had sat back down on the empty side of his bed to simply watch him drink the water. Even though he had maintained an observed state, he was forced to intervene when his eyelids started fluttering and breath hitching by grabbing the glass in order to prevent the liquid from being spilt but there wasn't any more that resulted from his impending sneeze since he managed to ward it off successfully and with a slight yet obscure sense of accomplishment he retrieved his drink to take a few more sips before setting it down on the nightstand then turning around to possibly resume the conversation with his temporary boyfriend except the way he was staring so blankly in addition to subtly confused at him was something that couldn't be left unnoticed or unquestioned.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just not sure whether I should say bless you."

"You shouldn't because I didn't sneeze. I was going to but then I stopped myself."

"There was no reason for you to do that. I already told you how it's nice when you're comfortable enough around me not to hold anything back and in this case it's quite literal. So I don't want you feeling-"

"Since I know what my sneezing is doing to you now, hopefully I can keep it under control although…"

"What?"

"Maybe I should have the opposite mentality and torture you, just for a little bit. Tell me, when in your entire life had you been with a partner that had the upper hand and can make you feel a fraction of the arousal that comes from being in your presence even just for 1 second?"

"That isn't funny."

"But it's still true. Don't you find that thought even just a little-"

"Nope, and you just completely took me outta the mood. It's not like I can do anything with you anyways so that's the real torture. And even besides from all of that, you really need to sleep now. I've wasted enough time keeping you up with these over-involved stories and… this type of conversation which I'm pretty sure might be a result of your fever."

"I don't want to sleep yet. This has been the greatest night of my life… in spite of the sickness: just being with you and talking, having you so close and taking care of me while being in your secret bedroom, laying on your extra comfortable bed and wearing your pajamas. It's perfect and I don't want it to end."

"Come on, don't be like that. We were just talking about my insatiable desire to have sex with you and that can't happen until you let your body rest. So, now that you're done using me as a tissue-"

"Well at least I missed your face this time."

"Yes, that's completely true, but you still made me feel so turned on."

"Jack, I'm pretty sure you get that way just from watching me make coffee."

"With all the steam from the boiling water, the grinding of the beans and the relentless dripping sounds it's impossible not to be stimulated by the man who's orchestrating it all. But that's beside the point. How about you close your eyes?"

"Just because you ask me in a different, less direct way doesn't mean my answer's going to change. I still don't want to sleep."

"Why the hell not?"

"I just don't."

"You're being stubborn again."

"So what? I'm sick."

"Obviously, which is why-"

"Jack, I feel too sick to sleep."

"How can you feel too sick to sleep? You're just making that up."

"Like you're the expert on what it feels like to be sick."

"We're getting back to the same things we were arguing about before. I really didn't wanna have to resort to threats but if you don't go to sleep this instant I'm gonna take your temperature again or worse, give you another dose of that wrong kind of medicine."

"You wouldn't!"

"Go ahead, try me," he playfully commented, smiling with satisfaction not only at how he could so easily manipulate him but how his employee seemed to get caught up in his display of dominance which was the opposite of him settling down to go to sleep and even though it would have been tempting to continue on with this scenario he knew it would be more beneficial for him to dramatically change the mood between them by cautiously bringing up what he seemed to be reluctant about through the use of a gentler tone, "Don't think I didn't see you yawn when I came back in. You're probably ready to fall asleep any second now and I want you to know: we'll have a lot more time to spend together that'll be perfect. At the very least, there'll be a few more days where you're stuck in bed but then things will be back to normal and maybe we could… do some couple things or… just try it out… I'm sorry. I'm really not used to-"

"It's alright. You just making an effort at it is all I need. I think I'll go to sleep now… I probably should stay on this side. It's going to be even harder taking the proper precautions against sneezing when I'm half-asleep."

"That's okay. You can come back over here. I won't mind it if you sneeze on me, you know, when you do it without being pressed up against my crotch."

"While a small part of me feels a great satisfaction in doing that to the point where I believe I almost planned it, I assure you it was completely involuntary."

"But of course, it wouldn't be the worst thing if you had done it on purpose," he softly admitted, successfully having the sensual mood return between them only this time he allowed it to be taken to the next level by moving in to kiss him for several minutes as a result of getting caught up in having their tongues intertwined and when he finally pulled away seeing him looking more exhausted than he had the whole night yet expectedly satisfied proved it would only end up badly if he stayed awake any longer, "Rest now."

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"I promise."

"Thank you," he whispered, grateful to be reassured then waited for him to move towards the middle of the bed from reaching over to shut the light off before they got settled by both of them getting under the blankets with him clinging tightly to the captain in order to ensure he wouldn't be leaving and for a few minutes it was peaceful until his body started to tremble however he managed to will away another sneeze then sighed with relief once the tickly feeling was gone, finally allowing him to sleep but it meant the immortal man was left with nothing to do except wait until he woke up, as his boredom steadily increased made worse by the fact he couldn't even move to grab a book to read since he didn't want to disturb his sleeping boyfriend which was what caused him to be happy when he heard his voice a few hours later cutting through the unbearable silence rather than upset that he hadn't remained asleep, "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you telling me those stories. It was wonderful hearing all of it and I'm so glad you shared them with me."

"It was nice talking about it and if there was only 1 person I'd share those stories with it has to be you. Of course my story's still incomplete and I can't wait to see what happens between me and that man when we spend the rest of his life together. How about you?"

"The rest… of my life?"

"Absolutely, I wanna experience every moment of it. The concept of being with 1 person for that many years is completely different from how I've done things. Maybe it's time to change my whole philosophy on intimate relationships and for you, I'd definitely be willing to do that."

"But what about when I'm old and you still look like this?"

"There's nothing wrong with grey hair and wrinkles. Besides at that point we would've spent 60 or so years together and I'm sure when you're in your 90's you'd be very eager having a handsome, young lover around."

"Maybe…"

"You need to stop talking about this because the way it's going right now is gonna lead to-"

"What will happen to you when I die?"

"Yep, there it is, saw it from a mile away. You shouldn't even be awake so-"

"Please just answer. I don't know if we are going to spend the rest of my life together, whether I'll keep working here or you don't want to be with me anymore because you get bored, but if it turns out that way I just don't want to leave you mourning me 1 day. And I don't mean to be selfish. What's going to happen when you lose all of us? You've been working here for 2 centuries, going through many different team members. Are you really just going to move on from us and work with a new group? I suppose you have to continue on with this organization of capturing aliens for… ever?"

"Well, even I can't predict how much longer Torchwood is gonna last. It might not go on for another century let alone a year but I'm sure as long as I'm still around this Institute will continue to subdue the alien threat, even if I'm with a team smaller than this one and we have to work in a much more cramped and less technological space."

"But no matter what happens with that, you're going to have to take on another lover because it'll always be impossible for you to never have sex. I just hope whoever they are, when you compare me and him I'll only be slightly more-"

"I already told you how I can't compare anything yet. You're incomparable anyways."

"You can't blame me for trying and I bet I can do something to persuade the odds in my favor so that in the future when I'm gone, you-"

"Listen, we really can't think about that or even what might happen tomorrow. With all the uncertainty in my life the best thing I can do is only concentrate on the present. Please say you understand… Ianto? Come on, I need you to answer me."

"Do you think there's a way for you to replicate the causes which made you immortal?"

"Absolutely not, that's never gonna happen again."

"Then do you know another method a person can become-"

"Why're you asking this?"

"You know why… I just can't bear the thought of growing old while you stay the same so if we both were able to keep from dying that would be-"

"Hey, this isn't something you want! It's the worst kinda torture, never being able to die and you have no idea!"

"I know but I really can't see it as torture because you wouldn't be here with us… with me, if you died even before you joined Torchwood. All the good thing you've done to help people never would've happened and your team wouldn't exist either… we never would've met."

"You're completely right. It's like what I was saying before: bad things always lead to good things and you, oh you're definitely the best thing ever. I think you should go back to sleep. You need to get better because I wanna have sex with you now more than ever. Don't you feel the same way?"

"Yes, I can't wait for that either. It's going to be the only thing that can make me feel better from being sick. I just have 1 last question for you."

"Do you need the help of your alien doctor to travel through time or can you still do it by yourself?"

"I don't know… he's still doing it with some new woman but all my connections with him are broken and he disabled my vortex manipulator. I really don't like how you brought that up either."

"Well, I understand it bothers you to hear envy of your immortality but you need to accept the fact that I'm jealous of your experience traveling through time."

"Alright then, tell me if you had the opportunity to do it, when would you go?"

"The 18th or 19th century, eras where all the people behaved properly and reserved, I feel like I would fit in well there."

"Oh yeah, mixed in with all those uptight, repressed men and women, I'm sure you'd-" he started to tease, finding his response completely mundane yet a perfect match to his personality that couldn't help bring a smile to his face until he was disrupted by the sudden, explosive sound of a sneeze going off next to him and based on the lack of spray, he could tell Ianto had covered his mouth which was good for him except the way he sighed afterwards proved something was wrong, "Bless you. Are you alright?"

"Yes, it's just I cad't fidd by hadkerchief id the dark… add as you cad tell I've becobe codgested agaid."

"I know, you still sound cute even this way, and it's okay. Wipe your nose on your sleeve."

"Doe!"

"Come on, it's no big deal unless you have to blow your nose which it obviously sounds like you do, but you can still do it on the bottom of your shirt."

"Do you actually believe I would do sobethidg that udcivilized? Besides, you seeb to be forgetting it'll be _your _shirt I blow by dose idto."

"I won't mind. It's not good to let your nose keep running and I'm sure you'll feel better to have it cleared out."

"Fide… I suppose it doesd't batter because I'b goidg to wash your clothes add lideds adyway whed I'b dode idfectidg theb."

He took a deep breath before reluctantly pushing the blankets down then lifting his pajama top up to employ as a means of containing the vast amount of congestion which in spite of his previous refusal, the sudden urge to sneeze again without needing to worry about getting his hands wet or the man next to him proved to be a beneficial tactic hopefully making up for the uncomfortable sensation of having something damp pressed against his skin for the rest of the night and even though he wanted to say it was unnecessary to worry about doing the laundry he remained silent as a result of becoming so fixated on looking at his bare stomach exposed that not even the gurgling sound of his nose blowing could bother him although once he finished to look back at him, with an expression he purposely tried to display as guilty to cover up the fact he secretly felt unimaginably relieved, rather than make a comment that would inevitably spark another series of physical pursuits he brought up a thought that returned them to their previous topic, "You know, it's fortunate you're not in that time period right now otherwise there wouldn't be such modern amenities as digital thermometers and icky tasting medicine."

"Very funny Jack."

"I thought so. I'm surprised at you. It's not just time you can travel through but space too. Wouldn't you wanna visit another planet?"

"No thank you, I get my fill of aliens with this job and then some."

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like going into the future? There's so much stuff that happens between now and the 51st century. It's great even if you stay on Earth."

"Well, I would still have to refuse that too. There could be anything that takes place in the future and learning a shocking truth about what becomes of the human race might be unsettling. It's never a good thing for anyone to know information like that."

"You must think I'm wrong then, because I know so many things like that."

"No, there's definitely an exception for immortal, time traveling men from the future… who are also incredibly sexy."

"Easy there, none of that until we can get through a proper make out session without it being interrupted by you sneezing. How about experiencing the past of a different country, like America? You could be there at the signing of the declaration of independence or the resolution to the civil war."

"I don't like that either. Travelling outside the country is too stressful for me. I did it a few years ago but now that I'm back home I can't imagine leaving ever again."

"Wow, you're not an easy man to persuade."

"Yes, I can only imagine the situations I would be forced to deal with if I let the dominant and troublemaking Captain Jack Harkness have the ability to persuade me easily."

"At least I'm capable of persuading the meticulous and hardworking Ianto Jones for the important things."

"You absolutely are… but maybe I shouldn't be so unwilling to experience the world. I suppose taking a quick trip to some other country in the U.K. wouldn't be so bad, or perhaps another European country. Someplace exotic like Spain or Italy might be-"

"Oh hell no, anywhere but Italy! The… the people are so close-minded and… and backward-"

"Jack?"

"What?"

"Why are you getting so upset? Did something bad happen to you when you were there?"

"No, I've never actually been in the country but… I knew a man once. He was Italian and blind in 1 eye which didn't detract from how beautiful he was but then he… please don't make me talk about him anymore."

"Okay, it's not like I asked you that specifically and I don't need to hear anything else but… what have you got against Italians in general or their country?"

"It's just the 1 set of bad memories associated with him, and I can't believe you made me think about him after all this time."

"I'm sorry, but it's hard not to know which random things not to bring up when I'm speaking with an immortal, time and space traveling man who's done everything."

"I guess so… let me get something straight: if you had access to travel anywhere in time and space, you'd only wanna go to 18th or 19th century Cardiff?"

"That's right. I know you must think it's the most unexciting choice given all of space and time and compared to what you've done-"

"No, weren't you listening when I told you I've been there, from the year 200,100 to 1869. I got teleported to 19th century Cardiff and was found by 2 women who forced me to work for them at Torchwood."

"So that means you've been living here all this time?"

"Yep, stuck in this same town, this same living space for almost 2 centuries just waiting for the doctor."

"You could've watched me grow up, that is if you knew me back then."

"I can still do that… only without you knowing. If I just walked up and introduced myself to you before we naturally met you'd already know me at that point and the future would change. But I'd come back and tell you about it, how cute you were as a boy and then a teenager. Thinking about it makes me so… right, I'll save that kinda talk for later. I'd recommend the 18th century for the sole reason of not crossing my own timeline. You see, with time travel there's a whole bunch of things you have to pay attention to otherwise you'd end up causing many irreversible problems. But even so, there's a certain nostalgia that comes with traveling to a place from your past and that feeling's increased when it's somewhere you're currently living in. If that's the trip you want then that's where we'll go. Of course, the further back you go in the past the less likely homosexuality is accepted so that's a bit of a downside. We probably wouldn't be able to kiss in public, not that it's any different from what we do now, but once we're there we can find a nice, secluded spot and just do everything to each other. Maybe right in the middle of a field where we'll be able to feel the grass on our bare-"

"Jack?"

"Sorry, am I getting too ahead of myself? It may just be a personal thing but time travel has the effect of making me so aroused, you might be the same way. Here's an interesting fact for you: in the future not only is homosexuality widely accepted, there's the common occurrence of inter-species relationships, human and aliens having sex with one another. Oh sure at first it was a sub-culture most people were disgusted by except they eventually learned to accept that as well because if they hadn't the human race wouldn't have been able to survive for as long as they do. And I know what you're thinking: how does alien sex compare? It's difficult to answer because with a partner so different from what you expect, especially if their sex organs don't match up, and they have tentacles, extra eyes, slimy skin or multiple sets of teeth there's such a thrill that comes with it. But obviously nothing can compare to making love with a man who not only has everything in the right places and is so handsome, but I can tell most of my secrets to. I'd take that anytime. It's a much better deal, wouldn't you agree?"

"You need to stop this. All your sex talk distracted me from what I wanted to say to you."

"Fine, what is it?"

"Why does it sound like you're already planning a trip for us? I thought you said there wasn't a way you could travel in time anymore."

"Time travel is a hell of a lot easier to pull off than immortality. I'll find a way to take us there because I really wanna do this for you…" he explained but then trailed off once he heard the sound of his breathing becoming erratic shortly followed by the predictable sneeze and he groaned at the idea of using his pajamas again but didn't feel guilty enough about it since he really couldn't tolerate how irritated and drippy his nose felt with the only thing bringing him comfort was the sensation of having his back rubbed as he waited for him to finish to continue that thought," You know, when you've gotten over this cold because it's hard enough going into different time periods when you're at 100%. Bless you by the way."

"Thank you. I don't feel like going anywhere right now or doing anything except sleep unless you wanted to talk about something else?"

"There's only 1 thing left I have to say to you: goodnight, Ianto."

"Goodnight, Jack."

He moved his hand around in the dark until he located where his face was to give him a kiss that had lasted a little too long in addition to becoming too intense based on how Ianto needed to pull away before Jack wanted to finish but still it was the perfect way to end their long night, creating pleasant thoughts in his mind that lead to various scenarios for when they could kiss properly again. As time passed of him resting his head on the immortal man's shoulder, with the sound of snoring from his stuffed-up nasal passages unpleasantly audible, he experienced conflicting feelings about him finally getting to rest since it was what he had been trying to achieve except they couldn't talk anymore with that loneliness only being overshadowed by a different type of sensation: a physical one presenting itself in the form of fatigue. He knew as a result of his condition that trivial, typical human functions such as sleeping weren't necessary for him to survive and on most nights he was able to stay awake in order to do some office work or read 1 of his books even after an intense day on the job but whether it was from having someone sleep so close to him or taking care of his sick boyfriend and the worry which came with it, he could feel his eyelids start to droop, his head tilting down, a general looseness throughout his entire body and eventually it reached the stage where he was overcome with the urge to yawn. At first he tried to fight off all those symptoms since he wanted to keep watch over him even though obviously nothing was going to happen to the man in his sleep but ultimately he decided to be taken in by his exhaustion and just close his eyes for a little while which ended up proving to be more relaxing than imagined with that peaceful feeling becoming destroyed after an indeterminable amount of time when an annoying beeping sound disturbed his slumber, making him disoriented yet extremely irritated especially once he pinpointed the noise to his earpiece going off, forcing him to answer the call only to have it stop ringing despite the fact he really didn't want to talk at that moment.

"This had better be important, Owen."

"Nah, it's no big deal unless you don't think an alien running around town, threatening to destroy the human race is important. Did you get drunk last night?"

"What?"

"You gotta be hung-over or something because you sound horrible."

"No I don't."

"Well, you at least don't sound like yourself which could be considered horrible. And you're also whispering. So then, with those 2 factors you must be-"

"Just tell me what's happening."

"Oh, your typical unidentifiable alien integrating themselves among the population. No casualties, no harmful effects on the environment, no threats really but we still have to do our jobs and subdue them. We'll go through the details when you get here. It's not gonna take you that long, right? Maybe you can tell me where you are?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Fair enough, even if I had just overstepped my boundaries we still need our fearless and immortal leader to lead us in the fight against extraterrestrial forces."

"I'll be there in a few minutes. You and the rest of the team-"

"Yeah, it's just me, Gwen and Tosh in the hub. I have no idea where Ianto is and his phone's shut off so we can't call him either."

"Don't worry about that. The 3 of you focus on gathering all the information you can before I arrive."

"But-"

"Just do it. I wanna get this done as quickly as possible."

He ended their conversation, feeling more annoyed than when it started because the last thing he wanted to do was leave the comfort of his private bedroom with his sick boyfriend who he was supposed to stay with to instead go handle an alien messing around on their planet and it felt so painful to break the promise he made him but he knew it had to be taken care of as the only solace he could rely on was carrying it out with as little time spent away from him. Carefully he slid out of bed so his sleeping partner wouldn't be disturbed before tenderly giving him a kiss on the forehead and he could barely concentrate on anything else, not even dressing himself properly since he only grabbed 1 of his blue, button-down shirts to pit on although he didn't feel like wearing any additional clothing anyway, mentally preparing a few seconds until he mustered up enough motivation to walk through the hallways to get to the main area of the hub where his 3 remaining team members were waiting. They had been right in the middle of a discussion, whether it was about the current situation or not, when it abruptly came to an end caused by his arrival not accompanied with any sort of comment or non-verbal response due to him simply looking at all the monitors, possibly checking them for information although he seemed too dazed for that, rather than offer an acknowledgement and it was difficult to pinpoint what exactly was wrong with him even though it had to be something except before any of them could formulate a theory to question him on, he became aware of the silence then took control over the team as per usual if not doing so in a matter more gruff than typical.

"Is somebody gonna tell me something already?"

"Yeah, we umm… set up a quick presentation as you instructed over the phone so… let's go to the briefing room where we'll so it to you and then you'll be caught up on everything uh… if you're ready for it?"

He ignored that last comment which was an obvious attempt at suggesting he wasn't capable of being their boss for his assignment before heading towards the specified location, leaving them little time to worry about him to instead trail behind and things started out good once he began his report on everything they found out about the alien, or in this case what they were able to rule out, although the longer it went on the more Jack lost interest as he involuntarily tuned out his words only registering that his lips were moving until he couldn't even look at the screen anymore to the point where he turned his head away without his eyes blinking due to being so preoccupied about 2 things: Ianto being sick while also unattended and the increasingly strange feeling he was experiencing that couldn't be identified, causing Owen to snap after realizing the lack of his attention, stopping right in the middle of his presentation to vent, "God damn it! That was a complete waste of time! I'd kill him if he wouldn't just come back from it."

"Have a little patience. It's obvious something's not right with him so we should-"

"There isn't time for this Tosh, alien on the loose, our jobs to catch it with him in charge of the whole thing… I don't believe it."

"What?"

"Is he actually asleep?"

"No… his eyes are open."

"Maybe he sleeps with his eyes open?"

"Right in front of us, does he even need to sleep?"

"Well he's not moving or blinking or responding to anything we're saying. Oi Jack, let me tell you I took the SUV out on a joyride earlier then crashed it right into the tower… there you see, nothing."

"What do you think we should do then, just take care of it by ourselves?"

"It's not like we haven't functioned without him before. This can't wait any longer. We gotta-"

"Just give me a minute, I have an idea to snap him out of this," Gwen announced, putting an end to their argument but while receiving skeptical glares from both of them that hadn't deterred her tactic of going up so close to him she had her lips pressed against his ear and what was whispered seemed to break his daze since he made eye contact with her then placed his hands on her hips, which she tried not to slap him for, "Jack I need you."

"For what?"

"Listen to Owen tell you what we're about to get into."

"Are you sure that's all you need me for?"

"Come on, we just capture 1 seemingly harmless alien then you tell me what's-"

"I know I made you waste time with this, Owen, but give me the minimum details. Go ahead, I'm listening this time I promise."

"No, I'm not going through this again. You do it Tosh."

"Fine, so basically what we have is a doppelganger type situation. An alien has the ability to replicate the appearance of any person, although we can't determine yet how far of a transformation it goes, whether the DNA is copied as well. It started out as a few police reports about people seeing somebody who looked exactly like them despite not having a twin and they didn't tell us until the number of times this happened reached over 50 when it was proven the victims weren't just drunk or seeing things. Even though it's not specifically our area of expertise, it does fall under the weird and inexplicable so it's been handed over to us. We tried looking through our databases but didn't find any species that matched. Do you know what we're dealing with?"

"I don't. Owen said it hasn't hurt anyone yet. Are there any signs of this alien can become dangerous anytime soon?"

"Not exactly… but are you suggesting we wait? It's always been our jobs to neutralize any alien forces as quickly as possible so the general population doesn't become too freaked out, and people are already starting to panic. This needs to be fixed now. We can't even determine whether it's 1 alien or its whole species."

"Has it been all at once where people notice copies of themselves or over an extended period of time, and how far have these incidences been spread across?"

"Well… based on the reports it has been occurring over several hours starting at 10 o'clock this morning which I coordinated with the rift activity monitor that detected something coming through at that time and it's only been in Cardiff according to no mentions of it outside the country… but still-"

"Look Jack, just because this isn't on a massive scale there's something we need to consider: this alien has only been copying regular people, but what happens when it decides to take the appearance of some high officials and learn secrets about this planet's defense and weapons systems? It might be able to pass through security tests flawlessly. Come on, be our boss and take care of this because we certainly are capable of doing this without you."

"Oh really, you think so?"

"Maybe… I was kinda more confident about that before you made me doubt myself. I'm just really annoyed you weren't here when we needed you, we all are."

"Well I'm here now so-"

"Can't you tell us what you-"

"Owen and Gwen, you're with me. Tosh, you stay here and watch on the CCTV so you can tell us if you see it anywhere. There's gotta be some device we have that can help us in this situation."

"We have a scanner that identifies human from non-human elements in the event its replication is only on the outside and also a portable machine that instantly identifies the DNA of any living creature, if there are any signs of differences too, both of which we already packed."

"Alright then, let's-"

"Hold on, I appreciate how you're eager to get moving after not showing up or listening at first but we can't go yet. Our whole team isn't here."

"What's wrong, you miss him?"

"You know I don't but even I have to admit his eye for detail is incomparable and when everyone's all together there's nothing we can't accomplish."

"Owen may not care about his wellbeing, but I'm concerned about him. Do you think he's alright?"

"I'm worried about him too, it's just when I came in this morning there was an envelope filled with papers I have no idea what to do with, the front desk isn't being stationed, the weevils are going crazy downstairs because they haven't been fed and, perhaps the most important, there wasn't any coffee made. If you know where he is, you have to tell us."

He hesitated, keeping in mind how such a proper and professional man wouldn't want his coworkers to find out he caught a cold that was preventing him from working except the way they were unrelentingly staring at him, each having their own reasons for hearing what happened to the absent team member meant he couldn't continue ignoring the issue and was forced to say something, "Ianto's indisposed at the moment. He won't be coming with us for this."

"What's he indisposed with?"

"None of your business."

"But you know?"

"Stop talking about it."

"I can't just let it go. The thing that pisses me off the most is how when he gets to go out with us he blows it off. If he can't handle the responsibility of what we do, then he should just stay in her and do his real jobs instead of ours."

"Hey! I'm in a really bad mood now and trust me you don't wanna make it worse. So stop saying things you don't know about."

"Alright, I'm sorry, but you still let him have the day off."

"If you're questioning my judgment on who I allow to go out on investigating specific rift activities then you can stay behind with Tosh and let me and Gwen have all the action. How does that sound?"

"Fine by me."

"No, there's no way I'm gonna be stuck here with her just watching a bunch of monitors."

"Of course you wouldn't want to be alone with me."

"All I'm saying is: it's unfair how you give some people special treatment, while others are-"

"Look, I don't give anybody any special treatment. You're all the same."

"Except for the fact you're currently shagging-"

"If 1 of you was… indisposed and told me about it, I'd-"

"So he directly came to you and said he would be indisposed?"

"Something like that… we really need to leave already."

"Jack?"

"What is it now?"

"Umm… you're not wearing shoes or socks."

"And your point is?"

"Do you want us to wait for you to put them on?"

"I said we need to leave."

"But you should at least grab your coat. It's cold out."

"No, it doesn't matter. You two get in the SUV and make sure you keep a close watch on places with a lot of people, Tosh. Oh and by the way you're driving Owen, hopefully without crashing my car into my tower."

"What?"


	5. Chapter 5

He wasn't surprised at his refusal to put on the appropriate outerwear or proof he really was listening when they thought he was asleep, instead the extremely atypical aspect of passing on the responsibility of getting behind the wheel was the thing that he couldn't comprehend because not only did he prefer to have control over that part of their job but none of them particularly enjoyed the way he drove although his confusion wasn't acknowledged as their boss lead the 2 participating workers out the door and in spite of how that was only the beginning of many unusual occurrences taking place during that assignment they managed to do their jobs of capturing the alien. By the time Gwen and Owen returned to the hub with Tosh waiting there for them, offering a sympathetic look in response to their expressions of exhaustion and frustration as she understood where those feelings were coming from since she heard everything that transpired when they were outside except despite all their bad moods, they waited at their desks simply preparing themselves for something to happen because now there were 2 people missing from the group. It was shortly after they came back when Ianto woke up to an empty bed in a room that he needed to remember its location except figuring out where he was didn't take as long as last time and regardless of the disappointment of being there alone, wondering what happened to the man he fell asleep next to the only thing on his mind was finding him which provided the motivation to leave the comfort of the warm bed for the unpleasant sensation of the cold floors against his bare feet despite how he was still feeling sick.

There were pieces of paper taped to the walls with arrows on them he assumed led to the area of Torchwood he was familiar with, grateful since it would have been impossible to navigate those hallways without his help and once he arrived at a level overlooking the hub he could only concentrate on doing something to improve his condition due to the fact that a lack of a heat source was causing him to shiver intensely as an idea suddenly came to his mind. He walked over to the place he was most situated in: the coffee station where he started on making himself a hot beverage, getting caught up in the activity until he was distracted by hearing his name called out which prompted him to focus on its source that he recognized to be Gwen who was standing accompanied by Tosh and Owen as all 3 of them were looking up at him each with a different expression displaying a certain sentiment that he could only see clearly after bringing up a hand to rub his eyes but he was still at a loss for words, accepting the facts the policewoman was concerned and the technological genius was only slightly irritated however he just couldn't figure out why the other man gazed back at him with a baffled yet amused look, at least before he began talking.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"About what?"

"Come on, you know exactly what."

"No I don't."

"That's not true. Stop lying."

"If you're not going to make sense then just leave me alone."

"You agree with me right? This is incredibly weird."

"I know Owen, but the way you're doing it isn't working. Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"Umm… are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ianto, you weren't with us when we had to-"

"Forget about that, both of you are ignoring the obvious: how he's standing in front of us wearing pajamas. I hope you know how ridiculous you look."

"Oh, I forgot I was dressed this way."

"How could you not be aware of that?"

"You need to back off and stop-"

"No wait, the more important thing I should be focusing on is: I thought you only owned suits."

"I do."

"Seriously? I was just joking."

"Well it's true and I had to borrow this set of-"

"Then that just brings up further questions. Things are starting to fall into place. Where have you been recently?"

"None of your business."

"Actually it's something we would all like to know. I was trying to say there was an alien situation we had to go out and investigate. It got pretty rough and we really could've used your help."

"I didn't know that was happening…"

"Jack said you were indisposed."

"He did?"

"Yes, and he was very adamant about not going any further into it than that. But since we have you here right now you can tell us 1st hand."

"Please don't ask me to do that."

"Oh no, she wasn't asking. It's more of a demand, wouldn't you say Tosh?"

"I just want to know."

"We shouldn't push him if he doesn't feel like talking to us about it."

"Don't give me that. Aren't you even just slightly mad at him for putting us through such a horrible situation, not that he would've been much help but he at least would've known what to do with-"

"Listen everyone, you know me, I really enjoy being here and doing this job. I didn't just abandon it to see a show or something. There was an entirely different reason from that and it's very difficult to accept I wasn't around to help. I'm sorry."

"Aww, it would be impossible not to forgive you, right Tosh?"

"Fine, I forgive you too. What about you… Owen?"

"It's gotta be something personal and embarrassing then."

"I'm not telling you."

"That's alright, I'll figure it out soon enough anyways."

"No you won't."

"Yes I will, with these things it's always something simple. I bet it was an appointment where you were being diagnosed for some sorta medical problem."

"You couldn't be farther from-"

"Maybe a venereal disease?"

"Owen!"

"Well it's not like he was seeing a girlfriend, or boyfriend, unless there's something he wants to tell us although I don't know anybody who can fall in love with such a neurotic and boring-"

"Where's Jack," he snapped in a tone none of his teammates were used to and he could feel his face become hotter which he wasn't sure was only from the rush of anger but instead of being pressed for answers about his recent absence, the hurtful comments just directed at him or even his illness the only thing that he could be concerned about was his boss in addition to the question hopefully not revealing how desperate he was to see him except when they remained silent not even interacting with him, including the hot-tempered doctor who he just got in a fight with, to the point where their gazes were shifted away he became so much more panicked, inwardly though as not to insight further accusations against himself, "How come nobody's answering me… Gwen?"

"You see… the short explanation is: we don't know, but there's something more complicated to it."

"Is he alright?"

"Umm… we're not sure."

"What does that mean? Is he alive?"

"Yeah, of course he is, at least now. I really don't think I can explain-"

"It's going to help us figure out what happened if you tell us about the last time you saw him, then we'll do the same."

"Would it really make a difference to know-"

"You don't understand. He was acting and behaving so unlike himself that something must have happened before we saw him."

"But he was perfectly-"

"Hold off on that for a second, before we get involved in this any further I'd like some coffee. How about you ladies?"

"Oh absolutely, after today I could really use it."

"Me too, if it's not too much trouble."

"You heard them, get to it."

"No."

"What was that?"

"I said no. If you want coffee so badly, go out and get it yourself or better yet, make it yourself that is if you can."

"It's the easiest thing in the world and anyway, that's not the way things work around here. I'm the sarcastic yet still sexy doctor, Gwen's the plucky cop, Tosh's the tech nerd, Jack's our boss who comes from the future and can never die and you're the bloke who does all the little things we're too important for, like making coffee, understand?"

"I do it as a common courteously for everyone, not because it's too unimportant for me. And also I happen to enjoy going through the routine."

"Yeah sure whatever, I still don't have any coffee."

"Owen, just leave him alone. If he doesn't wanna do it then don't force him, and stop being such an arsehole."

"But he's-"

"Ianto, I don't mean to continue on with his rude behavior but aren't you already making coffee?"

"No, this is tea."

"You don't drink tea, it's always been coffee. That's very English of you."

"Well right now I feel like tea."

"Can't you just switch over really quick and-"

"God damn it! Shut up Owen! It's not going to happen! I can't make anything for you or anyone else right now when I'm like this!"

"Like what?"

"I'm contagious," he harshly informed, putting an end to the argument in a very forceful manner brought on by how he lost his composure due to his persistence which had the effect of Tosh and Gwen looking at him in shock as though they had no idea he was capable of such intense anger but it still didn't faze him since the outburst achieved the desired result of making Owen stop and the satisfaction from generating his stunned silence felt incredible yet was short lived because he quickly got over it then walked up the stairs towards him, making the sick coworker panic, "What are you doing?"

"Come on, don't you realize you can't say that to a doctor without it being overlooked?"

"You should overlook it because it's really not at all important."

"I'll be the judge of that. You know, this explains it. You were at a doctor's appointment, obviously being diagnosed with an illness that's transmitted airborne."

"No, just stop guessing."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"How do you feel?"

"Fine."

"Which parts of your body hurt?"

"None."

"How long have you been-"

"Oi, let me ask you a question: why do you even care about me hypothetically having a potential illness when a minute ago you were being so rude towards me and making horrible accusations about me?"

"It's the curse of being a doctor, sympathy towards their patients. I'll have you know: my bedside manner has always been superb, and I'm so serious about that I won't even make the obvious joke. That trait's important when dealing with sick people."

"I'm not sick."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, would you leave me alone already?"

"If that's true, then you'll answer with complete confidence when I ask you: if there was something we needed to go out and investigate right now, would you feel up to it all the running and other physical demands? Take a moment and think about what the real answer is."

He was confident in responding with a lie since it was obvious he couldn't possibly be capable of the rigorous requirements of alien hunting but he didn't want to prove him right in addition to his love for this job preventing the truth from being told except before he could make any sort of statement, the words weren't coming out due to the fact he suddenly needed to concentrate on his body's signals and because Owen had already been staring right at him, he watched as his facial features went blank with the exception of his nose twitching. In an abrupt action, not only so he wouldn't be observed anymore but to prevent the station where he made hot drinks from being contaminated, he spun around then waited in preparation for what was about to happen, punctuated by the sound of uneven breaths although at the last second he pinched his nose and mouth closed, making the only indicator of the sneeze being how his body was pitched forward that still didn't have him fooled due to the fact when Ianto recovered enough to open his eyes, he noticed the cynical doctor had moved so he was standing in front of him again, gazing with an expression that displayed curiosity rather than malevolence or sympathy.

"That's it, and I was right. It's simple."

"Nothing about this is simple. You don't know what it is either."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't!"

"You're sure yelling a lot for someone in your condition. I'm diagnosing that you don't have a sore throat."

"Owen, I will kill you."

"Oh I seriously doubt you're capable of doing anything anywhere near that to me right now except for spreading your germs. You must be feeling run down."

"Stop it."

"Here, let me feel your fore-"

"Don't you dare touch me!"

"At this rate you're gonna end up with a sore throat."

"No I won't."

"You know, I'd have more respect for you if you were always this forceful, but you shouldn't be putting so much strain on yourself right now."

"I don't need you giving me advice."

"Really, you're disregarding advice that's only in your best interest and is common sense from a doctor?"

"No, I'm disregarding a suggestion that wasn't asked for or required from my obnoxious coworker who can't seem to mind his own busi-"

He was too preoccupied focusing on the latest installment in their confrontation to recognize what was going on with his body until the fact he needed to sneeze again only became noticeable a few seconds just before it occurred, with the sole precaution he could take being to turn away from him as the uninhibited sound seemed to reverberate throughout the entire hub that also served as undeniable proof of what he had been trying to make him confess and the way he broke that trend of denial was nothing compared to the embarrassment of sneezing at his normal volume around anyone except the man he felt comfortable enough with to let his guard down. As a result he remained frozen with his back turned towards them, unable to look at any of his fellow employees except he was forced to abandon that tactic after feeling a hand placed on his shoulder which he assumed was Owen trying to reach him again although when the contact changed into a more affectionate form of stroking his hair then moving down to rub his back he focused on the source to discover it was Gwen standing next to him looking concerned as the other male team member had switched positions to now be at the bottom of the stairs beside Tosh who was staring up with an expression that lacked the previous annoyance and instead displayed worry as well, finally making the 3 of them stop being bothered by all the other things and focus on what was really important.

"Bless you, Ianto."

"Thank you… please excuse me. I didn't-"

"Shh, it's alright. You don't need to explain yourself."

"But I feel so embarrassed."

"Why?"

"Don't act like you don't know. Aside from completely humiliating myself in front of the people I work with who were already thinking lowly of me it's completely embarrassing to miss work just because of a…"

"Go on, say it."

"I can't."

"The only way you can stop feeling embarrassed about this is admitting it out loud. It's not a big deal. You should just get it over with. Besides, you know you don't have to hide anything from me."

"Alright fine, I'll tell you… I have come down with such a terrible head cold."

"Thank you for being honest. Can you tell me when you started feeling sick?"

"On Monday after we came back from whatever we were out investigating. I didn't feel right and couldn't concentrate on doing my work."

"Do you feel any better since then?"

"A little… but I-"

"You need to understand this isn't your fault and you shouldn't be blaming yourself for it. Something like this could've happened to any 1 of us and I know you're thinking it hasn't but we're all human so-"

"Gwen?"

"Yes, Ianto?"

"I was trying to say I wasn't expecting to stay here this long. I wanted to have some tea and find out where Jack was. I'm starting to feel dizzy standing on my feet… oh, I forgot to put on shoes or socks…"

"Come on, I'll help you sit down. Tosh can you finish making the tea for him?"

"Sure, no problem. How would you like it?"

"Milk and a little sugar, please?"

"You should have it with honey and lemon, you know, for the impending sore throat."

"For the last time, Owen, my throat isn't sore."

"Yet."

"Oi, you need to leave him alone. That's what I'm instructing you to do."

He glared at her, not liking how she was giving orders and confused that she also was taking the initiative over him which he chalked up to some sort of maternal instinct and as she walked down the stairs keeping a tight hold of her sick teammate since he was moving very unsteadily while passing Tosh on the way up so she could do as told despite how she was still slightly irritated not to have coffee, Owen didn't take his eyes off of her just staring in silence with an unreadable expression that she tried to ignore which wasn't that hard due to focusing on helping Ianto into a chair except she had to pay attention to him once he started talking to her, "How did you do that? I know I wasn't being very tactful and we dislike each other anyway, but you got him to come clean. Was it part of your police training, to press confessions out of suspects?"

"Nope, I'm just good at dealing with stubborn men since I'm currently dating the king of stubbornness. Of course, I have less experience handling men who are insensitive bastards but that doesn't mean I can't put one in his place."

"Oh really? I'd like to see you try."

"Alright, settle down. You just need to stop bothering him. Don't even talk to him, at all. You'll only make things worse."

"Yeah, it's not like I'm trying to do that and I promise not to do anything to him after I perform a quick physical examination."

"Fine, but do it without-"

"I'm sitting right in front of you and can hear what you're saying. Don't speak for me on my behalf."

"Aww, I'm sorry. I just thought it'd be good for you to get checked out. Despite how he's pretty much the worst person on Earth-"

"Oi, not on Earth! Wales maybe."

"We both know he's a very competent doctor plus the closest one so you just let him look at you."

"No, I don't want him touching me."

"It's not a big deal, I'll wear gloves so I'm not actually touching your skin even though it's not me who needs to be worried about passing on germs."

"I still don't want you doing it."

"Yeah, I'm not gonna find it enjoyable either but how am I supposed to determine how sick you are?"

"You don't think I can't determine the severity of my own illness?"

"That's funny. Even when you don't feel well, you're still this thorough, methodical, obsessive bloke who can't stop focusing on the details. Of course the stubborn attitude is something I never would've expected from you. How about this: I ask you a few simply questions without laying a finger on you and in return I expect you answer truthfully."

"Fine, but let's make it quick. I need to find out what happened to Jack."

"Oh sure, absolutely, it's only your health. Gwen, put your hand on his forehead to see how it feels."

"Is that alright with you?"

"Yes, just as long as he doesn't try to take my temperature with a thermometer."

"Why not? It's the most accurate way-"

"Hmm… he feels a bit warm, but not completely burning up and he's looking a bit flushed too."

"Do you think you have a fever?"

"I feel a bit warm like she said and I suppose flushed as well. My fever had been much worse. I'm just not over it completely."

"What are you other symptoms?"

"Just nasal related and fatigue. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Have you been taking any medicine?"

"Unfortunately yes, I already had 2 doses. I've also been trying to get as much rest as possible which is the only real cure for a cold."

"You're right, but does that mean when he said you were indisposed, it was all because of-"

"Alright, your tea's ready. It's just the way you asked for and the timing couldn't have been better. I'm sure you could use a break from Owen's oral examination."

"Well, it wasn't like I had any other choice with him being so uncharacteristically stubborn."

"It's obvious he's sick and you're just fishing for more information which is making him feel worse."

"Don't make me out to be the bad guy when you're the one who was so desperate to find out-"

"Thank you," he interjected after taking the tea cup from her which caused all 3 of them to focus on him while he drank mainly since it was so strange how he didn't take any breaks in between sips despite its hot temperature although once he got down to the bottom with only a little bit of liquid remaining, he suddenly pulled the cup away and fortunately Gwen was able to predict what was about to happen by grabbing it just in time for when he brought his hands to his face then stifled a sneeze again, making him resume feeling humiliated to do it right in front of them even though she was offering a sympathetic look, "Excuse me."

"It's okay. Bless you. I'm really sorry that you're sick. If there's anything you need me to do for you, just say the word."

"Yeah, you can ask me for anything else too and I'm sure Owen feels the same way… right?"

"You really shouldn't do that. You'll blow out your eardrums."

"Well it's better than the alternative."

"Letting it out you mean? I'm surprised to find out such a quiet and reserved man can sneeze so loudly. It's… impressive, almost."

"Please just stop."

"Alright, but it's important for you to know whether it's 1 way or the other you really shouldn't keep touching your face, especially your nose. Anything you touch now is gonna be a carrier for the virus and as the team's doctor I need to look out for the group as a whole. We're not gonna be very good at fighting aliens if we all come down with colds."

"So what's your point?"

"Even if you wanna keep it quiet, just make sure you use tissues."

"I don't have any and the handkerchief I usually carry around, which I would have needed to wash from overuse yesterday, is what I prefer to use."

"Well doesn't that just fit in with your stuffy, old-fashioned, constant suit wearing personality? For your information handkerchiefs are very unsanitary."

"But they're so much softer and more… absorbent. I promise I'll make sure not to pass it on to Gwen or Tosh, but I would be perfectly fine if I got you sick."

"Look, Ianto, all I need you to do is just cover your mouth, not with your hands but by bringing your arm up to your face. I'm serious about this. You should be better than having to be lectured on the hygienic and polite procedures of-"

"I don't need you telling me how I should sneeze, and for your information I haven't been feeling very tolerable of politeness as of late. That kind of becomes low on the list of priorities when you're not feeling well."

"Okay, I understand that but even when you put aside the contagious part of it you'll feel better if you-"

"It doesn't matter. Stop focusing on it."

"Right, like I said before: it's only your health."

"Gwen, you promised not to let him talk to me."

"Sorry, I got a bit distracted from your conversation, but don't worry. I'll keep on top of him from now on."

"Ooh, bad choice of words you know. But it's not like you can keep me from talking because I'm just trying to figure out the best way to deal with him so we all can-"

"Why is it so hard for you to keep quiet and leave him alone?"

"Would you accept the reason that under all the sarcastic and rude comments I'm actually concerned about his wellbeing and wanna do everything I can as a doctor to help get him better?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Yeah, neither am I. It's probably just I really want some coffee and since I'm too important and he's-"

"My god, Owen, what the hell is wrong with-"

"Oi listen to me! I can't stand this arguing. I'll tell you what I know about Jack that way you can finally get to telling me what happened to him but first… what day is it? I seemed to have lost track of time."

"It's Tuesday, afternoon."

"Oh… I've been sleeping for almost an entire day… anyway, in case you were wondering I was sleeping right before I came out here."

"At least the pajamas make- no, I just wanna say it's good you were getting all that rest. And I'm done, Gwen."

"Thanks for controlling yourself. Go on, Ianto."

"So the thing is… he became involved with me-"

"I knew it!"

"Not like that! He realized I was sick and helped me out. We didn't do anything. I don't believe for a second you're concerned about my wellbeing. But I'm starting to drown out the sound of your voice. Don't worry about him talking to me anymore, Gwen. It's not worth you getting upset over and also, you shouldn't be so bothered by it either Tosh."

"What the hell are you talking about? She's-"

"I don't know why you're being more horrible to him than you usually are, and especially doing it when he's sick. You're such a jerk!"

He opened his mouth, about to offer a hasty reply except he noticed the way all his teammates were looking at him: Gwen glaring angrily right into his eyes, Tosh more upset refusing to meet his gaze to instead offer a sideways glance of disgust with his attitude and Ianto staring right at him as well only it was unfocused, brought on by his haziness from the fever, serving as an indisputable reminder of how bad his condition was which was also noticeable by the way his breathing sounded unusually loud due to a combination of his congested nose and irritated throat in the few moments there was silence then as a result of them maintaining their stances, forcing him to apologize before anything further was spoken he had no choice but to do so if not attempt 1 last act of defiance by making it come out too hasty and insincere, "I'm sorry, everyone, alright? Just get on with it."

"He stayed with me from Monday night to when I fell asleep but when I woke up a little while ago he wasn't there. I guess it makes sense he didn't stay the whole time because I was out so long but I don't think either of us expected there would be something happening. That's Torchwood for you. He wasn't any different than usual although I suppose at times he became annoyed with me. That's all I have to tell. I'm sure it's not nearly as exciting as what you know because he went with you to capture an alien. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, it was him, me and Gwen while Tosh stayed here to monitor the alien. If it's alright with you, I'll be the one to tell him."

"Just don't be rude or sarcastic."

"I'll try my hardest. So, it was this morning when the alarm for rift activity went off. The 3 of us were already here in the hub and we tried contacting you first since it seemed likely Jack was about to come in like he always does but neither of you showed up so I decided to call him even though it felt really awkward to ask the boss-"

"Please excuse m-me but I… feel like I'm… g-going to-"

"Oi, don't stifle it this time," he quickly advised, hoping he would follow what was just a simple yet highly beneficial medical tip rather than not listen merely out of spite due to his recent stubborn attitude but instead the message got through when he buried his face into the crook of his arm in an action that not only provided him with some dignity while being able to sneeze freely since the sound got muffled somewhat however included the additional precaution of not projecting contaminants into the air and even though the embarrassment was still present along with the exasperation of getting the borrowed pajamas further dirtier he couldn't help sigh with relief from not experiencing that typical feeling of pressure in his head, which Owen was able to further determine through his expression once he looked back up at him, "There, you see, that's so much better, right? Oh and bless you, I guess."

"Thank you. What happened when you called Jack?"

"Okay, so that was the 1st sign something was wrong with him. He sounded so unlike himself and was reluctant to come join us which makes sense now that we know he probably was with you at the time and also had to whisper so he wouldn't wake you up. He finally gets here but looks completely dazed and distracted and none of us knew what to say to him then he broke the silence by asking us what was happening. Because we were already here and had gone through what little information we found out by reviewing the police reports, he said we should show him a presentation which was so pointless since there wasn't anything we knew about this alien's species other than the fact it was a shape-shifting doppelganger. But it really didn't matter because he wasn't even listening while I was giving the presentation and when we asked him about it he wouldn't say anything and was trying to act like nothing was wrong. When he decided to take control as boss things just got weirder."

"I don't understand. It's our 51st century born, former time agent, immortal and too self-confident for his own good boss. What could possibly be weirder than that?"

"He didn't bother with putting on his shoes or socks before we left maybe because we had already wasted enough time and from what you told us it explains why he hadn't worn them in the 1st place since you two were probably sleeping together and of course I mean that in the most literal sense, unless-"

"Owen!"

"Alright, never mind, I'm moving on. He also didn't wear his coat even though it was really cold outside. But the thing that was absolutely the weirdest turned out to be how he didn't drive himself and let me do it. He stayed in the back while Gwen sat upfront and here's the kicker: throughout the entire duration of the car ride he was lying down spread across the whole row of seats and didn't say a word. I mean it sucked he wasn't helping out which made him end up being completely useless but it was so strange and we were not only worried but freaked out. You would know this: does he actually need to sleep in order to function like us mortal people? Biologically speaking, if he can't get permanently injured then he probably doesn't get fatigued either."

"How am I supposed to know what goes on with his body?"

"Come on, think about it. After… certain activities, does he fall asleep like a regular man?"

"You need to shut up about this… but you might be right. I don't think he was sleeping when I slept earlier or that he ever has or even needs to. The thing you're overlooking though is despite whether or not he sleeps, he wouldn't do it when there's something important happening and his team needs him unless he couldn't control it. I understand what you're talking about now. He's… not himself. Just tell me the rest of it. You haven't gotten to the part where you encountered the alien and I assume at that point it only got worse."

"Oh yeah, incredibly worse. So the 3 of us are out there in the bloody cold, trying to look for any signs of alien activity while Tosh was here and helping us find it but we got lucky because just after a few minutes of searching we heard some people scream and got to see the alien transform into this pretty, little blonde number but anyway, it was such an amazing and rare sight for us to witness considering all the crazy things we've seen but once the alien spotted us it ran so we had to chase after it which wasn't that bad since we also are accustomed to sprinters only this time something was different. Jack couldn't keep up with the chase and it was such a contrast to his usual take charge, super-hero like demeanor. I had no idea he could move that slow when there was an alien in need of restraining, possibly due to the fact he wasn't wearing anything on his feet and I don't think he even brought his gun either because he was in such a rush, but I couldn't think about questioning it or going back for him. Gwen and I were too busy running after this thing to concentrate on what was happening with him until we realized it wasn't in front of us anymore. Bet you can't guess what I'm gonna say next?"

"No, just get it out. I'm really worried about Jack."

"Fine, so we turn around and see 2 of them, identical copies of each other with the same clothes, voice, mannerisms, even that mysterious wrist thing he always has on and because of that we couldn't-"

"Oh my god… the alien transformed into him? How did you figure out which one was real?"

"Yeah, I was just getting to that. So it was like that over-clichéd thing you see in the movies: 2 blokes who're practically twins but only 1 of them is real and both of them are trying to convince you they're not the fake. I was so frustrated with the whole thing I just wanted to stop and walk away from it except there was a very serious problem we hadn't anticipated. It's not that much of a surprise really, with all the stuff we've done in some parts of the universe on some planets they know who we are and the aliens that come to Cardiff through the rift almost always know especially about Jack. I mean he's done so many things with us, let alone when he was out on his own so this alien had information on him. He was talking about how he didn't hurt anyone previously because he only wanted to get our attention then lure him out so he can take his form. Also he mentioned how rare it was to come across someone who not only survived the incidents on satellite 5 but saw the end of the universe, whatever those things mean."

"I don't understand. What could he possibly-"

"With the appearance and biological components of the infamous Captain Jack Harkness, which is exactly how he phrased it, he could have access to all his credentials, get into secret government facilities, use all the alien tech he kept locked up and what was most important: his ability to travel through time and space. It just sounded like a bunch of crazy ramblings from the thing that had looked like our boss and the real one, since we now knew which was the imposter from all his talking, was just standing there once again proving that something was wrong. We tried every scan we had but they all said both of them were the same man and by that point, the alien was getting ready to escape, most likely taking Jack with him but then he became a part of what was going on. He told the doppelganger just because he copied his DNA and appearance didn't mean they were 100% identical because he forgot about the 1 aspect which couldn't be replicated. That was when he looked at Gwen and I without saying anything but still we knew what he was asking us to do. Right before it happened, he said it was a shame you weren't there because you would've know the difference. I'm curious. Exactly how-"

"I would have kissed him, alright?! Damn it, I should have been there… so then does that mean you had to…"

"Yeah, it sucked but there wasn't any other choice. I shot them both in the head and the chest just to be sure. It didn't seem like a good idea to move him because he just wakes up a few minutes anyway, so while Gwen tended to him I handled the alien who once it had died transformed back into its true form: a creature that was human shaped but all blank and white without any distinguishing features, not even eyes, so I'm taking care of the alien, you know, containing it properly then putting its body into the SUV and she's still kneeled down next to Jack waiting for him to come back to life. Tosh's helping me over the phone, going over the details to secure any traces of its presence and she's still waiting. I had to go to the police since they managed to round up all the victims, and I got their information so we can retcon them over the next few days, but guess what? She needed to continue staying by him because he hadn't gotten up yet and she refused to leave him. It was just like before when he was going to be put in cold storage. Other than the obvious concern, it was becoming a nuisance because we couldn't have the area opened up to the public with him lying there dead. We didn't know what to do except wait and just as we were talking about the likelihood of putting his body in the car then deal with whether or not he was dead for real back at the hub, he finally came to after 45 minutes."

"Please tell me he was alright at that point."

"Well… he definitely was conscious and had all his mental faculties in order but… you know how whenever he dies then is brought back the 1st thing that happens is he gasps for air, which I guess makes sense because dead men can't breathe, only this time he started coughing immediately after that. It's not like we've seen him die before, but this didn't seem right at all and even he looked surprised it was happening just before his coughing became more intense. Gwen sat him up and rubbed his back except when I tried making things better he refused every time. I asked if he wanted some water or needed anything else, if there was any kind of medical treatment I could provide but he just shook his head. During the brief intervals where he was able to keep his eyes open, he looked at me and even though I could tell he was freaked out, there was still a look of confidence he conveyed so if he had been able to speak he would've told us not to worry. He listened to me when I advised him to take deep breaths and try not to give into the urge to cough so much. It eventually stopped and once he caught his breath I tried asking him questions like what had happened and what was wrong but the only thing he said was: take us back to the hub. We helped him stand up then get into the car. Gwen had wanted to sit in the back with him but he refused again although he followed my advice of not laying down so it would be easier for his airways to stay clear. Just like the ride there, he wasn't talking but he wasn't coughing either only his breathing was still off, it sounded too uneven. No matter how bad he was doing, it hadn't stopped him from bolting inside even before I had the chance to take the keys out. We didn't see where he went, but it just seemed likely if we waited he'd come to us eventually so that's what we did. After we unpacked all the stuff, which included putting the alien in 1 of the empty freezers, we went to meet up with Tosh and had to explain everything that happened because we were so preoccupied with him we forgot to talk to her once he regained consciousness. Then all 3 of us waited some more until you showed up and we had to ask where you were. So here we are, now you're stuck with us waiting for-"

"No I'm not."

"What?"

"Do you expect me to do nothing after finally hearing what happened to Jack? I need to go find him."

"Hold on, you're not going anywhere."

"Don't try to stop me. I'm not in a good mood and I will become hostile if you prevent me from looking for him. You remember when him and Tosh were stuck in the 1940s and you opened the rift to get them back even though I kept telling you it was too dangerous so I shot you but you did it anyway."

"You're forgetting it worked. I brought them back."

"It wasn't necessary. Even if he was in the past, he could have just waited and reunited with us."

"Oh yeah, what about her then? She'd still age and by the time it's 2006, she'd be an old woman with her whole life wasted all because of you! Plus, at the time we didn't know he wouldn't age!"

"We would have found a way to bring her back from that point in time or better yet, he would have thought of something to bring them both back because that's just how amazing he is!"

"You sided with us when we opened it again!"

"But you shot him and killed him!"

"He survived, obviously. Look, we need to stop talking about things that happened in the past and focus on-"

"It was because of you he almost permanently died!"

"Everything ended up turning out fine like none of it had ever happened. You're not thinking this through. How do you even know where he is?"

"I don't, but I'll manage to find him… it's really important that I-"

"No wait, why don't we take a moment to think about the reason you're so desperate to find him? You just heard what happened to him, not saw it 1st hand so based on that alone you shouldn't be more concerned than the rest of us, you know, unless you've done something crazy like develop real feelings for-"

"Let me make something perfectly clear: the only reason I'm concerned about him is because I feel too guilty. He might have been worrying about me when he was out with you, causing him to be distracted. I want to go apologize for that."

"You think that's what it's been this whole time?"

"What, does it seem too unbelievable to you someone else might actually appreciate me or that person just happens to be our boss who's lived so many other lives before this one, it makes me feel like I barely mean anything to him?"

"No it doesn't and I'm sorry I gave you that impression. It really sounds like that could be-"

"I can't take this anymore! I'm sick of hearing the sound of your sarcastic and judgmental voice! It's true you might be able to stop me from leaving. But if there's even 1 speck of decency and empathy in you then-"

"Look, I'm not trying to keep you here just because I wanna give you a hard time. The only thing I care about right now is your health. I need you right where I can see you to make sure you don't get worse and give you the treatment you need. What do you plan on doing: searching through the entire hub and then town looking for him with the slim chance you'll actually find him? You and I both know when he doesn't wanna be found nobody can get to him. And where will that leave you, pushing yourself so hard that the common and non-life threatening disease becomes much worse? Torchwood can't function without you and I'm certain the same goes for him. So why don't you just think about yourself for once, let me examine you then go home and get some more rest?"

"I still need to try finding him even if I collapse from exhaustion or my body overheats from the fever because I know he would do the same for me."

"God, this is impossible! It's nice of you to believe in that and while it may be true, the big difference is he won't ever-"

Ianto was already starting to get up, unpersuaded by anything he was saying to him when he felt the urge to sneeze again except he didn't want to give into it right when he was trying to make a stand that worked out somewhat for a little while since he managed to stifle a few sneezes despite his advice but as the fit went on to become more intense, he ended up covering his mouth to lessen the sound along with containing the germs which he could tell made their doctor very happy and with the way his body trembled violently proved it impossible for him to even leave his chair let alone begin a search for his boss that caused him to feel so pathetic and useless not even Gwen taking over interacting with him to spread her warmth and empathy could break his determination.

"Bless you."

"Thank you, but you should know: no matter what you say to me it won't-"

"I only have 3 words for you: what about Jack?"

"Yes Jack, exactly. I need to-"

"You need to think about what it's gonna be like when he comes back from wherever he is to find out you're at home because your cold got worse or even sent to the hospital because it became a whole lot worse and turned into pneumonia. It'd tear him apart."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Then why can't you just wait for him to show up like the rest of us?"

"Because… I feel like this is all my fault."

"Who cares? So what if you made him worry while he was out with us, causing him to be distracted and get killed? I'm sure once he comes back he'll forgive you for the whole-"

"No Gwen, don't you see? I think… I got him sick."

"That's… not possible. Jack can't die and it just makes sense he can't get sick either, especially not from a cold."

"I know that's the logical conclusion but you said he was coughing a lot. When else has he ever done that?"

"He probably hasn't, but you're overreacting to what was just something caught in his throat. The bottom line is Jack-"

"Hey guys, you know I don't mind being talked about but I rather have it done to my face."


End file.
